


Contamination: Book 3

by Lightfyre



Series: Contamination [3]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: some horror and intense gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-03-05 19:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 33,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13395075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightfyre/pseuds/Lightfyre
Summary: Lynxheart ventures back to the Dead Place to find some of his Clan mates that are missing. However, as the threat of the Dark Ones grows even stronger, he loses more and more faith in StarClan. A mysterious cat appears in his dreams, telling him that StarClan has abandoned him and his comrades. Lynxheart isn't sure what to believe, but he knows one thing--that he must protect the ones he loves, no matter what the cost.





	1. Allegiances

**ForestClan**

Medicine Cat: Hemlocktail- gray and white tom with green eyes  
Messenger Cat: Dusklight- dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Warriors:

Cherryleaf- light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes  
Grayspots- spotted gray tom with green eyes  
Apprentice, Sprucepaw  
Lynxheart- golden tabby and white tom with black-tipped ears and tail, and amber eyes  
Patchmoon- white tom with black patches and tail, and yellow eyes  
Starlingwind- mottled pale brown tabby tom with green eyes  
Apprentice, Walnutpaw  
Sunwhisker- yellow tabby tom with amber eyes  
Tulipwhisker- black, red, and white tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice, Firpaw

Apprentices:  
Firpaw- thick-furred dark tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes  
Sprucepaw- dark brown tom with black patches, a white chest, and yellow eyes  
Walnutpaw- pale brown tom with a white chest and amber eyes 

 

**LakeClan**

Leader: Shellstar- white she-cat with dark brown flecks and pale yellow eyes  
Deputy: Bluefrost- gray tabby tom with a white chest and brilliant blue eyes  
Medicine Cat: Grebefeather- dark tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes  
Messenger Cat: Peachglow- pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes 

Warriors:

Blackfish- black tom with amber eyes  
Flashfire- ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
Icewillow- longhaired pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Lightflower- longhaired yellow tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Nightpuddle- black she-cat with bright blue eyes  
Apprentice, Cranepaw (longhaired gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes)  
Pikewhisker- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes  
Plumshade- black and ginger she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice, Ripplepaw (light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes)  
Sandblaze- pale ginger tom with amber eyes  
Smewflight- longhaired dark brown tabby and white she-cat with green eyes 

 

**CliffClan**

Leader: Drizzlestar- large, long-legged light gray tom with darker gray flecks and blue eyes  
Deputy: Robinsong- pale brown she-cat with amber eyes  
Medicine Cat: Grousetail- thick-furred gray tabby tom with blue eyes  
Messenger Cat: Skywind- longhaired light brown tom with sky blue eyes

Warriors:

Amberfall- small, wiry reddish-brown and cream she-cat with amber eyes  
Bearpelt- huge brown tom with amber eyes  
Bramblesnow- slender dark brown tabby she-cat with a white face and blue eyes  
Cragclaw- slender dark brown tom with amber eyes  
Gustfur- light gray tom with a ruffled pelt, deeply notched ear, and blue eyes  
Ivyshine- silver tabby she-cat with a shiny pelt and green eyes  
Lilactail- pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Littlemouse- small, slender brown she-cat with amber eyes  
Longtalon- dark ginger tom with a long body and amber eyes  
Ridgesky- large dark brown tabby tom with a white muzzle and blue eyes  
Shadetuft- fluffy black tom with a white muzzle, chest, and paws, and green eyes 

Queens:  
Aspendust- gray she-cat with sandy colored patches and green eyes  
(Mother of Longtalon’s kits—Dawnkit, a gray and ginger she-cat with green eyes, and Russetkit, a dark ginger tom with sandy colored flecks and amber eyes)

Elders:  
Berrydawn- ginger and cream she-cat with amber eyes  
Twigflower- slender dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
Weedtail- scrawny yellow tom with amber eyes

 

 **Cats outside the Clans:**

Silversnake- slender silver tabby tom with blue eyes (formerly of ForestClan)


	2. Chapter 2

Lynxheart stumbled through the heavy snow. A blizzard roared around him; the air was thick and white. Chunks of snow whizzed by in the howling wind. Although his pelt was fluffed up to twice its usual size, Lynxheart was very, very cold. He felt as though his bones would freeze if he took another step—yet he kept on walking. 

_“Dusklight!”_ he called into the storm. _“Sunwhisker!”_

Lynxheart wouldn’t stop to rest until he had found his two missing Clan mates—both of whom had run off after fiercely fighting with each other. The frigid air stung the wounds on Lynxheart’s face he had earned trying to break them apart. 

Suddenly, Lynxheart’s paw caught on a rock beneath the snow. He yelped as he tumbled down a steep slope. His vision filled with snow. He lashed out with his paws, trying to stop his fall, but he kept rolling down the slope until he slammed into a large stone at the bottom. Lynxheart lay there in the snow, dazed. Blood trickled from his throbbing jaw, which had taken the blunt of the impact. The world swirled around him, and the screaming of the wind filled his ears. 

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a rocky overhang. Hestruggled to his paws and stumbled dizzily towards the small cave. It was still quite cold under here, but at least the overhang provided shelter from the wind. Lynxheart curled up into a tight ball, tucking his nose under the black tip of his tail. Shivering, he fell into a fitful sleep. 

 

Lynxheart’s ears filled with incoherent, ominous-sounding whispers. He was wandering through a maze of ancient stone structures. Shadows flashed at the ends of the passageways—now and then, Lynxheart thought he could catch a glimpse of burning red eyes watching him. He raced through the Dead Place, determined to find a way out, but it seemed to go on forever.

_“What do you want!?”_ he wailed, at last giving up and collapsing on his haunches. 

The only response he got was more eerie mumbling. Then, suddenly, he was standing in front of a very large structure, surrounded by a tall, shiny, web-like barrier. Lynxheart froze, his legs trembling as he recognized the place. This was the reactor, where he had first encountered the Dark Ones, and where he and his friends had almost died…  
Suddenly, Lynxheart saw Silversnake. The slender tom was wriggling through a gap in the barrier, limping up towards the entrance to the reactor with a hard wince on his face. Silversnake held one of his legs off the ground, which was afflicted with a nasty red wound. He jumped up into a space in the wall of the reactor, and disappeared. 

Then, everything around Lynxheart became black. He began to hyperventilate, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.

“NO! I don’t’ want to be here! _I don’t want to be here!”_ he screamed.

_**“COME TO US, LYNXHEART.”** _

A pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness in front him. They were slowly coming closer, their bright light burning brighter than the sun, threatening to blind him…

“NO! GET AWAY!” Lynxheart howled. 

Suddenly, he smashed his head on something hard, and his eyes flew open. Gasping, he looked around and saw that he was back under the overhang. He realized that he must have jumped up in his sleep and hit his head on the plate of rock above. Lynxheart’s head throbbed, and his vision spun. He lay down, burying his face under his paws as he fought to clear the horrible nightmare from his mind. 

Eventually, he sat up, and realized that the cave was completely blocked by a wall of snow. Lynxheart pawed at the cold, white powder, creating a hole that sunlight poured in through. Eventually, he’d made a large enough gap to squeeze through. He wriggled through the snow until he was able to stand up in it; it was at least two tail lengths deep. Up above, the sky was a bright, clear blue. Everything was completely buried in snow, which shone brightly in the sun. 

_Alright…I’m okay,_ Lynxheart thought. I need to find _Dusklight and Sunwhisker…I hope they were able to take shelter from the storm as well._

He continued down the side of the cliff, occasionally slipping and tumbling in the deep snow. He was starting to wonder how in StarClan that CliffClan cats were able to make their way around in leaf-bare, when he saw that he was almost to the bottom. Below him stretched a giant white field—it was the place that separated the three Clans and where they held Gatherings. 

“Gah!” Lynxheart slipped on a patch of wet stone. He fought to keep his balance, but went plummeting down about ten tail lengths. Fortunately, the snow below was so thick that it hardly hurt when he landed. He lay there panting, his breath coming out in puffs of fog in the freezing air. Eventually, he got to his feet, shaking snow from his golden tabby and white pelt. 

Then, he spotted something. Making a pathway across the field was a set of cat footprints. Lynxheart’s heart thudded excitedly—one of his missing Clan mates had been here.

“Dusklight!” he yowled. “Sunwhisker!”

There was no response. The air was silent and cold. 

Lynxheart trekked across the snow-covered field, hissing and grunting with frustration as he waded through the thick substance. Eventually, he gave up and took a break. The sun was at its highest point in the sky, and he wasn’t even halfway across the field. He glared at the sun, which was shining annoyingly right in his eyes.

_Are you laughing at me, StarClan?_ Lynxheart curled his lip. Of course they were laughing at him. StarClan had made it pretty clear that they enjoyed seeing living cats suffer. Lynxheart got back to his paws, realizing that he couldn’t give them that satisfaction. He trudged on through the snow, feeling defiant with every step. At one point, he passed a huge cave at the base of the cliff. Lynxheart had seen it on the way to Gatherings before—it was where the Starlit Pool was. Medicine cats used it to directly communicate with StarClan. 

_How can Hemlocktail have such blind faith in StarClan, after all they have allowed to happen?_ Lynxheart thought with disgust. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he had crossed the field, and was gazing upon the border of ForestClan’s territory. He gazed back at the tracks he had made in the snow with triumph—he’d made it all on his own, without StarClan’s help. 

However, he hesitated on the ForestClan border. This was the way the other set of tracks were headed. Part of ForestClan’s territory had to be crossed through to get to the Dead Place. But for all Lynxheart knew, it was crawling with Dark Ones.

Finally, he ventured forward. He would just have to risk it. 

Lynxheart hadn’t gotten very far into the forest when he picked up Dusklight’s scent on a nearby branch. It was fairly fresh—he had been there recently! Lynxheart cautiously padded through the forest, his heart thudding nervously. The last time he’d seen Dusklight, the messenger cat had been very angry with him for accidentally revealing the truth about Silversnake to their Clan mates—that he had led the Dark Ones to ForestClan’s camp. Sunwhisker, who had lost his mate and kits in the attack, had gone mad from this revelation and was now hunting down Silversnake. But surely Dusklight had had some time to cool down, and knew that Lynxheart had never meant to expose his brother? 

Suddenly, a pained yowl rang out in the near distance. For a moment, Lynxheart froze to the spot, paralyzed with fear…and then went running towards the source of the sound. A stinking scent wafted into his nostrils; Lynxheart was partially scared and partially relieved, as the Dark Ones had no scent. 

He came skidding to a halt as he spotted a badger pawing at a fallen log. The black and white animal growled and curled its lips to reveal huge, dirty, yellow fangs, as it tried to stick its head under a small space beneath the log. Lynxheart caught a glimpse of a ginger shape curled up inside.

_Dusklight!_


	3. Chapter 3

Lynxheart went flying through the air, landing on the badger’s back and raking his claws through its thick pelt. The animal roared and spun away from the log, trying to shake Lynxheart off. The warrior continued clawing at the badger’s fur until blood appeared. Lynxheart cried out as suddenly, his opponent dislodged him. He let out a grunt as he fell over in the snow. 

The badger’s striped face loomed above him, its putrid breath making Lynxheart cough. With a snarl, it opened its jaws, but Lynxheart rolled to the side just as it snapped them shut. The tom jumped up and slashed the angry animal across the face, leaving long, red welts. It roared again, and lunged at Lynxheart, but he darted between its legs and ran his claws along its soft belly. 

The badger staggered sideways, blood dripping from its body into the snow. It panted, its eyes glazed over with tiredness. For the first time, Lynxheart noticed that he its ribs were poking through its coat, as if it had been struggling to find prey in the dead of leaf-bare. Lynxheart would have felt sorry for it, but was relieved to see how weak it was. He stood in front of the space where Dusklight was, and gave a warning snarl, pinning down his ears. The badger turned and fled. 

“Dusklight!” Lynxheart turned around and peered under the log. His friend appeared to be lying on his side, with his back turned to Lynxheart. His flank was bleeding where the badger had clawed him. 

“Dusklight?” Lynxheart repeated again. 

For a moment, he feared that his friend was too injured to reply. But then, slowly, Dusklight turned around, his amber eyes glowing in the dark space.

“Lynxheart?” his voice sounded raspy and weak. 

“Oh, thank StarClan I’ve found you,” Lynxheart sighed.

Dusklight narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?” 

“I came looking for you, of course!” Lynxheart cried, feeling a pulse of anger. “That badger would have killed you had I not just chased it off. What are you doing under that log, anyways?”

Dusklight stared blankly at Lynxheart, whose fur prickled as he realized that the ginger tom’s eyes had a foggy look to them. He slowly moved forward and pressed his muzzle to the top of Dusklight’s head. His fur felt hot. 

“You have a fever!” Lynxheart realized. 

“Yeah.” Dusklight coughed. “I suddenly felt really sick, so I’ve been resting under here.” 

Lynxheart looked around, at a loss for what to do. 

“We should get you back to CliffClan’s camp,” said Lynxheart. “You need to see a medicine cat.” 

Dusklight shook his head. “No, I have to stop Sunwhisker from killing Silversnake.”

“Are you mouse-brained!?” Lynxheart exclaimed. “You’re in no condition to be out here!” 

“I’ve come this far,” said Dusklight with another cough. “I’m not stopping now.” 

“Look…I can go and find Sunwhisker,” said Lynxheart. “It’s my fault that he’s after your brother. I’ll take you back to CliffClan, and then I’ll go and find them. I promise I won’t let Sunwhisker kill Silversnake.” 

“It might be too late by then,” said Dusklight.

“But if you stay out here in the cold, you could die!” Lynxheart hissed. 

“So?” Dusklight retorted. “If I die saving my brother, that’s that.” 

His tone then softened, and his eyes went from hostile to sad. “I can’t lose another brother,” he said. “I just can’t go through that pain again.”

Lynxheart sighed. “I understand,” he said. “But if you die before you reach Silversnake, you won’t have helped him at all.” 

“Well…I have you,” said Dusklight. “You could help me get to the Dead Place.” 

“How are we going to get there when you’re this sick!?” Lynxheart cried. 

Dusklight shrugged. “Maybe I’ll get better if I rest for a while,” he said. 

Lynxheart dug his claws into the snow with frustration. Why did Dusklight have to be such a stubborn, idiotic furball? 

“Fine then…but you better not leave my side,” said Lynxheart.

“Thank you,” said Dusklight quietly. For a moment, his eyes were clear. “I’m sorry for yelling at you…it’s my fault for lying to our Clan mates in the first place. I should have known the truth would come out sooner or later.”

Lynxheart crawled into the narrow space, which was just big enough for two cats, and pressed into Dusklight’s warm pelt. 

“I’m sorry too,” he murmured. 

 

After some time, Dusklight regained the strength to walk again. Lynxheart managed to bring his fever down somewhat by rubbing snow into his pelt. As they made their way through ForestClan’s territory, Lynxheart was overcome with a mixture of nostalgia and fear. Part of him was happy to be back on his own territory again, in the forest he had grown up in. Even now, when it was all covered in snow, he recognized just about every tree and bush. However, the closeness of the trees and the dim, shadowy air reminded him that the Dark Ones could be lurking anywhere. He half expected to see bright red eyes glaring at them from behind every bend. 

By the time dusk arrived, they were still deep in the forest. But to their luck, they managed to find an abandoned fox den before dark, which they took shelter in. Lynxheart curled up tightly against Dusklight, trying not to tremble with fear as night fell outside. Were they really safe in this small den? With every heartbeat, he expected to see red eyes and white fangs glowing in the entrance to the den, to hear horrible snarling, and for one of those unearthly beasts to thrust its muzzle in and sink its fangs into their flesh…

Lynxheart gasped and jumped as he suddenly heard a loud, deep noise from outside. He hit his head on the sandy wall of the den, and accidentally kicked Dusklight in the ribs. 

“Lynxheart!” Dusklight wheezed. With a cough, he said, “I think that was an owl.” 

Lynxheart crouched down and lay still, carefully listening. A moment later, there came the definite hooting of an owl. 

He sighed with relief. “I’m so sorry,” he apologized to Dusklight. “I thought it was…”

Dusklight nodded. “It’s alright,” he said, touching his nose to Lynxheart’s. “We’ll be safe here.” 

Lynxheart wondered if Dusklight actually believed that, or if he was just trying to sound reassuring. Either way, his nerves still weren’t calmed. He spent the entire night with his chin on top of Dusklight’s head, swiveling his ears and staring at the entrance of the den. He did not sleep at all. Dusklight drifted in and out of sleep, twitching and grunting uncomfortably as his pelt grew hot once again with fever. 

_What am I going to do?_ Lynxheart thought. He obviously had greencough or something similar to it, and without a medicine cat, it would only get worse. 

_I wonder if there are still some herbs left in Hemlocktail’s den, back in the ForestClan camp._ He could try going there at dawn. But would it be too risky? He looked back at Dusklight, who was wheezing, his eyes shut tightly in discomfort. 

_Yes,_ Lynxheart decided. It was definitely worth the risk.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creamy light of dawn began to fill the den. Lynxheart gently nudged Dusklight with his head. 

“Hey. I’m going to go to the camp to see if there are any herbs in Hemlocktail’s den that could help you,” he said. 

“I’ll come with you,” Dusklight grunted, struggling to get to his paws.

“No, stay here,” said Lynxheart. “You’re running a fever again.” 

Dusklight opened his mouth, as if to protest, but then slumped back down to the floor of the den. “Please come back,” he said weakly, his eyes glazed over with sickness and worry. 

“I will,” Lynxheart promised, licking Dusklight between the ears. He left the den, and began hurrying in the direction he knew the camp to be in. The forest was still fairly dark, with only weak rays of light filtering between the tall evergreens. Lynxheart’s paws churned up snow and needles as he ran, having never been so desperate before in his life. 

_Is this what prey feels like?_ he thought. _Do they worry that every step could be their last, knowing that predators are always lurking nearby?_

Obviously, the Dark Ones weren’t ordinary predators. They enjoyed taunting their victims, staying hidden most of the time, and suddenly appearing when it was least expected.

_Why do they hate us? Why do they even exist?_

Thoughts swirled around in Lynxheart’s head, until he finally reached the area of the forest where the pines and firs gave away to oaks and bushes. He gave a huff of relief—he was almost to the camp!

Although he expected it, the silence that greeted him as he slipped into the entrance of the camp made Lynxheart’s blood run cold. He stood still for a moment, staring around the clearing he had grown up in. A thick layer of snow covered the ground, but Lynxheart knew that beneath it were likely huge dried puddles of blood. No longer did the camp smell of death, but everything about the camp felt dead. The leafless trees towered above the empty dens. The Leader’s Oak, with the huge hole in the middle that Wolfstar used as a den, was just a dark space that blended in with the shadows. It was as if no cats had ever lived here at all. 

Lynxheart crossed the camp, refusing look towards the tunnel of bent trees that led to the camp’s burial ground. All the victims of the Dark One’s attack had been hastily buried there by the survivors before they’d fled to LakeClan’s camp. Lynxheart’s parents, Foxshade and Goldenleaf, Wolfstar, Sunwhisker’s mate Lakefrost and their kits—nearly all the cats of ForestClan lay beneath the soil beyond those trees, their bodies torn in pieces. 

Lynxheart shoved the thoughts out of his mind, hurrying towards the medicine den. At least there was one thing that was reassuring—there were no tracks in the snow, indicating that no creatures had visited the camp recently. Peering into the medicine den, Lynxheart was met with the familiar scent of herbs. He sighed with heavy relief—there were some here after all. He made his way to the back of the den and found a few types of herbs sorted into piles. Lynxheart was obviously no medicine cat, but he knew what some herbs were used for. He recognized chickweed, which was used for greencough, and feverfew, which, as its name suggested, brought down fevers. 

_Perfect!_ Lynxheart purred with satisfaction as he gathered up a bundle of the herbs into his mouth, and dashed out of the medicine den. The excitement of finding something that could help Dusklight overpowered his fear, and he momentarily forgot all about the Dark Ones as he hurried back to his friend.

“Dusklight, look!” Lynxheart dropped the herbs at the mouth of the fox den. 

Dusklight poked his head out of the den, the glazed over look disappearing from his eyes as he gasped at what Lynxheart had brought. 

“It’s chickweed and feverfew—the stuff Hemlocktail uses to cure greencough!” Lynxheart exclaimed. 

“Wow. What a lucky find,” Dusklight rasped. 

He chewed up the herbs, wincing at their bitter taste and coughing in between bites. For the first time in several days, Lynxheart felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps Dusklight would get better now, and they could find Sunwhisker before he got to the Dead Place, and persuade him to come back to CliffClan’s camp. 

_Maybe ForestClan is going to survive after all,_ Lynxheart thought.


	4. Chapter 4

“Are you okay?” asked Lynxheart.

Dusklight let out a series of harsh coughs in response, and sank down onto his haunches. “I need to rest for a bit,” he croaked. 

A few sunrises had passed since they’d begun the journey. Lynxheart had no idea how close they were to the Dead Place, or even if they were going the right way. Terror and stress had clouded the memories of the first time he’d traveled there. They’d been wandering aimlessly since leaving ForestClan’s territory, having to stop now and then when Dusklight got tired. The dark ginger tabby was still ill. He’d responded to the herbs that one day, regaining strength and being able to walk a fair distance, but then the coughing had returned, and his fever had been coming and going in waves. 

Lyxnheart sighed heavily, sitting down next to Dusklight and licking mud from his golden tabby pelt. At least the weather had warmed, but the melting snow had turned the ground wet and muddy. Lynxheart hissed irritably as brown, cold water seeped between his toes from underneath the frostbitten grass. 

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the near distance. Lynxheart jumped to his paws and exchanged startled glances with Dusklight.

“Was that a Dark One?” he whispered.

Dusklight shook his head. “It didn’t sound like one.” 

“Wait here,” Lynxheart told him. “I’ll go see what it is.” 

Before Dusklight could protest, he carefully padded away into a cluster of trees. A weird, acrid scent flooded Lynxheart’s nose and mouth. He’d never smelled anything like it before, but whatever it was, it didn’t seem natural. He bristled as he cautiously stuck his head through the undergrowth and peered ahead. 

Lynxheart gasped. Before him was a long, straight black path, appearing to be made out of some sort of flat, stone-like material. It seemed to stretch a very long way to the east and west, winding through the hilly area like a snake. A strange silver barrier about a tail length high ran along the path, bordering what seemed to be the edge of a cliff. But the most bizarre part about it was that on the other side of the path, only fox-lengths away from Lynxheart, were two creatures that he had never before seen in his life. 

One was definitely alive, as it was moving, but the other stood completely still. The stationary one was huge, about the size of a bear, and covered in a hard, shiny orange pelt. The front of its body was tall and narrow, while the rest of it was low and flat. It stood on four perfectly circular black paws. The second creature was hunched over the front of the first one, peering into what appeared to be its open mouth. It stood up on two very long legs, with its forepaws moving around inside the shiny creature’s mouth. Its body was covered in what appeared to be an assortment of strange green and brown pelts. There was even a small pelt on top of its head. Lynxheart couldn’t see its face, but he did catch a glance of a pink, furless cheek. 

Suddenly, something brushed up against his fur. Lynxheart let out a startled yowl and jumped high into the air. 

“Sorry,” Dusklight apologized. 

“You scared me out of my fur!” Lynxheart hissed. “I told you to stay behind, anyways!” 

“Sorry, I got worried about you going alone.” Dusklight coughed slightly as he spoke. 

“What are those?” Lynxheart pointed with his foreleg towards the strange creatures. 

Dusklight peered forward, his eyes widening with surprise. 

“That’s a Twoleg!” he whispered. “Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen one!” 

“Oh!” Lynxheart gasped with realization.

“Have you never seen one?” Dusklight murmured.

“No, never,” Lynxheart replied, continuing to stare at the Twoleg with a mixture of awe and fear. “Wow…so they really do exist. I know you told me they were real, but…I never expected to actually see one.”

He turned back to Dusklight. “Are they aggressive?”

Dusklight shook his head. “Occasionally, small groups of them would come through the Dead Place. We kept our distance from them, but sometimes they would see us and try to touch us. I never sensed anything malicious about them, though. I think they were just curious.”

“What is that other animal next to the Twoleg?” Lynxheart whispered. 

“I’m not sure,” said Dusklight. “Sometimes the Twolegs would arrive in one of those. They seem to go inside these creatures and ride around in their bellies. They look pretty scary, but they never bothered us." 

“They…go _inside_ them?” Lynxheart echoed. “But how do they get out?”

Dusklight shrugged. “The monsters just swallow them up and spit them out,” he said. “I know it sounds weird, but I’ve seen it happen.”

And then, with a gasp, Dusklight said, “Wait…I have an idea, Lynxheart! That monster is the same color as others I used to see around the Dead Place. Maybe it’s headed there! We could sneak into the back and ride it!”

Lynxheart stared at Dusklight, wondering if his fever had made him go insane. 

“Do you have bees in your brain!?” Lynxheart exclaimed. “You seriously want us to ride on the back of…a _monster!?_ ”

“Well, I don’t see how else we’re going to get to the Dead Place, at this rate,” said Dusklight. 

Lynxheart glanced once more at the monster, then back at Dusklight. With a heavy sigh, he said, “I can’t believe we’re doing this."

They carefully crept past the Twoleg, who was still examining the monster’s mouth. The creature’s body was about a tail length off the ground, with the edge of its rear being about three tail lengths up. Lynxheart trembled as he stepped near it. However, it appeared to be asleep, as it did not move as the cats approached. 

“Are you sure it won’t wake up if we leap on its back?” Lynxheart asked Dusklight. 

“Well, they don’t seem to mind Twolegs going inside of them, so I doubt it will react to us,” Dusklight replied. 

Lynxheart gulped, took a deep breath, and then gathered up all the strength in his haunches. He then sprang high into the air, managing to grip the end of the monster with his forepaws. Its pelt was slick and smooth; Lynxheart pushed himself up, scrabbling his hind paws against the monster’s rear, and found himself teetering over a perfectly square, hollow space in its back. He carefully placed his paws onto the hard, cold surface below. Amazingly, Dusklight was right—the monster did not react at all. A moment later, he heard a grunt, and Dusklight appeared, hanging over the edge of the hollow and struggling to climb in. Lynxheart helped his friend lower himself to the floor of the space. 

Suddenly, they heard a loud clang, followed by a series of clomping footsteps. The Twoleg appeared to have shut the monster’s mouth, and was now walking around to the back! Dusklight motioned with his tail towards a short but thick object in the corner of the hollow. The two toms quickly squeezed between it and the wall of the space, lying as still as they could. The Twoleg leaned forward with one of its long forelegs, and touched the object. Lynxheart held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut—they were going to be discovered! His heart thudded as he heard a clunking noise from inside the object. But then, the Twoleg retreated, heading back towards the front of the monster. 

“I think it just wanted to put something in there,” Dusklight whispered. “Thank StarClan it didn’t see us!”

Just then, there came a sudden loud _whump_ that shook the monster’s whole body, followed by a bellowing growl as it began to tremble violently. Lynxheart pressed up against Dusklight, his heart racing with terror. 

“It’s okay,” Dusklight soothed. “The Twoleg is waking the monster up, I think.”

Just then, the monster began to move. At first, it inched slowly forward, and then took off in a bust of speed. The object the toms were crouched behind rattled as the monster ran along the black path. Lynxheart’s head spun with dizziness and bewilderment—he had never imagined that any creature could move so fast. It could probably even outrun the Dark Ones. 

“Twolegs are crazy if they use these things to get around everywhere!” Lynxheart exclaimed. 

“Well, it’s better than having to walk all the way to the Dead Place,” said Dusklight. He coughed again. 

Lynxheart and Dusklight rode on the monster for what seemed like forever. They peered over the edge of the hollow and saw the world whizzing by them in a blur. Up above, between the treetops, the sky was a bright, crisp blue. Water splashed below as one of the monster’s paws stepped in a puddle on the path. Eventually, the vibrating and growling of the bizarre animal went from jarring to oddly soothing. Lynxheart and Dusklight curled up together, and fell asleep. 

 

When Lynxheart awoke, everything was shrouded in darkness. He looked around, wondering if it was night. Then, he realized that the shaking and growling of the monster had stopped, and felt grass beneath his paws. He couldn’t feel or scent Dusklight there. Suddenly, Lynxheart recognized this place—he’d been here, once before, in a dream. 

“Hello!?” he cried out. “Is anyone there!?”

A thick, heavy silence filled the air. The only sound that Lynxheart could detect was the faint gurgling of a stream in the distance. Up ahead, something was giving off a faint, glowing light. Walking closer, Lynxheart realized it was a sort of fungus-like substance, illuminating the trees in a weak, sickly greenish light. 

“Hello, Lynxheart.”

Lynxheart jumped and spun around, coming face to face with another cat. Its orange eyes glowed brightly in the darkness like two embers. 

“Who are you!?” Lynxheart demanded. “Have you been the one talking to me? What do you want?” 

“Take it easy.” The stranger’s voice was a raspy growl. He motioned for Lynxheart to walk forward, towards a nearby oak that was coated in the glowing fungus. Here, it was much easier to see the surroundings. Lynxheart caught a glimpse of slimy looking grass beneath his paws. The strange cat stepped into the greenish-gray light. He was a small, scrawny tom, with a matted, pale brown coat. His ribs protruded from his fur, and his tail was thin and long. He had a ripped ear, and scars crisscrossed his body. 

“Who are you?” Lynxheart repeated.

“My apologies for not introducing myself," said the tom. “My name is Wormclaw. I used to be a ForestClan warrior, but I’m dead, obviously.” 

“Dead?” Lynxheart echoed. “So you mean…this is StarClan?” 

“Well, part of it,” Wormclaw replied. “You see, it’s an isolated area that I like to hang around in, as I’m kind of anti-social.”

“Oh,” said Lynxheart. “It’s awfully dark here. I can’t even see any stars.”

“Well, I like it that way,” said Wormclaw. “Everything is quiet because no one else likes to come here. But anyways, let’s get to the point.” 

Wormclaw narrowed his eyes as he stared the younger cat down. Lynxheart couldn’t believe he was dead—his eyes burned like fire. 

“As I’ve said before, StarClan has abandoned all of their living ancestors,” said Wormclaw. “I heard them talking. They’ve decided that the Dark Ones are too powerful, so they’re not going to do anything to try and stop them.”

“What!?” Lynxheart exclaimed.

“I know. They’re cowards.” Wormclaw curled his lip, revealing dirty yellow fang. “But I haven’t given up. I want to help you, Lynxheart. I can’t stand to see my former Clan being destroyed." 

“Is there anything we can do to stop the Dark Ones?” Lynxheart breathed. 

“Well, not really,” said Wormclaw. “But I do know a thing or two about them. See, here in StarClan, you can see pretty much everything in the living world. I’ve been spying on the Dark Ones at the Dead Place, listening to them plot. From what I can tell, there used to be just one of them, but somehow, it learned to multiply.” 

Lynxheart listened, speechless.

“But I also know that they are not immortal,” said Wormclaw. “You see, I died fighting one.” 

Lynxheart gasped. “Really!?”

Wormclaw nodded. “I was on a patrol that ran into one. The other warriors that were with me fled, but I fought it. I managed to claw out one of its eyes, and bite deeply into its throat, until it collapsed and bled out. But I was torn to pieces in the process.”

“You _killed_ a Dark One!?” Lynxheart cried. He couldn’t believe it. 

“Yes, I did,” said Wormclaw. “It wasn’t easy, though. It was a complete stroke of luck that I was able to take down that StarClan-forsaken thing. But it _is_ possible to kill the Dark Ones.” 

“But…could we really do it?” Lynxheart breathed. 

“Well, maybe, if you got enough cats together,” said Wormclaw. “You see, the original Dark Ones gives all of its copies its power. I’m sure you’ve noticed that the air pulsates when one is nearby. The original one gives off a much stronger vibe than any of the other ones. So if you encounter it, you’ll know.”

“But what does that have to do with killing all of them?” Lynxheart asked. 

“If you kill the original, they will all die,” said Wormclaw. “I just killed one of the copies, so it didn’t do anything. At one point, I thought that I’d died in vain. But then I saw you, Lynxheart. You are very brave and ambitious for your age. If anyone can kill the original Dark One, it’s you.” 

“I…I’m not sure about that,” Lynxheart admitted. “But why has StarClan just abandoned us like that!?”

“Being dead makes you lazy,” Wormclaw growled. “When cats first come here to StarClan, they’re all about looking out for their ancestors and other nonsense, but they pretty quickly become apathetic and dull. Hardly anyone is able to stay sane here. It’s just full of spirits floating around, mumbling prophecies that don’t make any sense into the ears of medicine cats.”

Lynxheart stared at Wormclaw with no idea what to say, or to think. 

“But I don’t rest easily.” Wormclaw lashed his tail. “I’m telling you what you need to know.”

“But, if I kill the Dark One like you did…it might kill me in the process,” Lynxheart realized. 

“You’re a warrior,” said Wormclaw. “Don’t tell me that you fear death?”

“No, it’s not that,” said Lynxheart. “It’s just…I can’t leave Dusklight behind. He’d be heartbroken.” 

“Well, this may be the only opportunity to save him,” said Wormclaw.

“What?” Lynxheart’s head spun with confusion. 

“You see, Dusklight doesn’t have greencough,” Wormclaw exclaimed. “He has something much worse—a disease he’s developed from having grown up in the Dead Place. There’s something bad about the air there that makes animals sick if they live there for too long. Surely you remember Blackthorn, that old Clan mate of yours who also came from the Dead Place? He got sick and died because he’d been exposed to the air there for a long time.” 

“Wh…what?” Lynxheart stuttered. “No, that can’t be true…”

“I’m afraid it is true,” said Wormclaw. “The disease creeps up quietly on its victims. It’s deadly, and there is no way for a medicine cat to cure it.” 

“But…how do you even know all this!?” Lynxheart cried. 

“I’ve been dead for quite a while,” Wormclaw replied. “I’ve had time to study the living world, and learn about it. And like I said, I listen to the whisperings of the Dark Ones.

“So there’s nothing that can be done to help Dusklight?” Lynxheart’s heart fell as though it were cracking in two.

Wormclaw gave an irritated snort. “I just told you there _is_ something that can be done,” he said. “Of course, I don’t know if it will work for sure, but it might. If you are to get rid of the Dark Ones, the bad energy that comes from the Dead Place could be extinguished. It seems to me that it spreads almost like a curse. So, maybe, killing the Dark Ones will cure Dusklight.” 

“You really think so?” breathed Lynxheart.

“It’s all theoretical, but…possible,” said Wormclaw. 

“Okay, well…I’ll do it then,” Lynxheart vowed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save Dusklight, even if it costs me my own life.”

Wormclaw dipped his head. “That’s what I was hoping you would say,” he rasped. “I’ll be here if you need more guidance, Lynxheart. Just seek me out in your dreams whenever you need me.”

Lynxheart jolted awake as the monster rattled. He looked around, seeing the sky was no longer black, but glowing with the rosy light of sunset. Dusklight was still curled up next to Lynxheart, his pelt growing hot again. 

“Don’t worry,” Lynxheart whispered, licking the other tom on the top of the head. “I’m going to kill the Dark Ones, and make you better.”


	5. Chapter 5

The monster rumbled along the seemingly endless path as the sky grew dark. Deep gray clouds rolled in, with red light from the setting sun filtering between them. The forest and cliffs gave away to wide, flat open land. The monster slowed down when it got to a strange looking barrier. To Lynxheart’s surprise, there was another Twoleg there. The one in the monster got out, and talked with the other for a moment. Then, a gap opened up in the barrier, and the Twoleg re-entered the monster. It roared back to life, continuing along the path until finally, it reached an area full of crumbling stone structures.

“Dusklight! We’re here!” Lynxheart shook his companion awake. “We’ve made it to the Dead Place!”

Dusklight grunted, weakly opening his eyes. The monster slowed down, and then came to a complete standstill. 

“C’mon, we have to get out of here before the Twoleg sees us!” 

Dusklight only moaned in response. Lynxheart’s fur bristled as he looked up and saw the Twoleg emerging from the monster. Some sort of flap had opened in its side—the Twoleg shut the flap with a loud wham. This snapped Dusklight out of his stupor; the dark ginger tom jumped to his paws, looking wildly around. 

Fortunately, the Twoleg didn’t notice them. It walked away from the monster, and dug its paw into the long, saggy pelt that covered the upper half of its body. It pulled out a flat black object, which it held out and began waving around. A series of clicks came from the object—almost insect-like, but very odd-sounding.

“Come on.” Lynxheart nudged Dusklight. “Let’s get out of here while the Twoleg is distracted.”

He scrambled over the side of the monster’s back, encouraging Dusklight to do the same. Lynxheart landed neatly on the ground on all four paws, but Dusklight slipped and fell awkwardly on his side. 

“Are you okay!?” Lynxheart exclaimed, crouching over him.

Dusklight let out a series of violent coughs. Then, Lynxheart heard large, thudding footsteps coming towards the monster—the noise had attracted the Twoleg! 

“Quick, under here!” Lynxheart hissed. He shoved Dusklight into the space under the monster’s belly, and then crawled in next to him. The footsteps grew closer, until Lynxheart could see the Twoleg’s feet. It stopped for a moment. Both cats lay flat to the ground, hardly daring to breathe. For a moment, there was silence, save for the weird clicking noise, now louder and more obnoxious than ever. Finally, the Twoleg made a confused sound, and then walked away. Lynxheart let out a sigh of relief as Dusklight suppressed another cough. 

“That was close,” Lynxheart whispered. “Come on. Let’s go find somewhere else to hide.” 

He nudged Dusklight along through the Dead Place, desperate to find a hiding place before it got dark. It wasn’t long before they came across a giant abandoned den, with a row of spaces that were about a tail length up from the ground. They jumped up into the den, which was dark and lined with stone. A strange, soft-looking ledge was by the wall, with four twigs that held it up, like legs. It appeared to have once been white, but was now stained brown with dirt and dust. 

“Y’know, I’m starting to believe the legends of Twolegs once living here,” said Lynxheart. “They use such strange objects." 

Dusklight didn’t respond. With a jolt, Lynxheart realized that his friend’s legs were trembling. 

“Hey, come on, let’s rest on this.” Lynxheart motioned to the soft ledge. Once Dusklight had managed to jump up on it, Lynxheart helped him get comfortable. The toms curled up together, fluffing out their fur against the cold night air. 

“I feel horrible,” Dusklight croaked. 

“Shhh, you’ll be alright,” Lynxheart soothed, comfortingly stroking Dusklight’s pelt with his tongue, although his heart squeezed with worry as he noticed that his friend’s fur was hotter than ever. 

“This…this is a punishment,” Dusklight mumbled.

Lynxheart stopped licking him. “What?” 

“StarClan is punishing me.” Dusklight looked into Lynxheart’s eyes, his own amber ones bright and dazed with fever.

“What are you talking about!?” Lynxheart exclaimed. 

“I…I have a confession to make.” Dusklight’s whole body started trembling. “Back when I lived here, as a kit…we’d sometimes see small groups of Twolegs come through. The Dark Ones hated them for some reason…they said that they wanted to kill them. My father also hated Twolegs. He lived with them, as a young cat…they kept him in a dark, smelly den with several other cats, and starved them. Eventually he and some of the other cats escaped, and they founded the Shadow Seekers here in the Dead Place.” 

Dusklight let out a wet, ragged cough, and then continued. “So one day, there was a group of Twolegs that came by…and they had a little one with them…sort of like a Twoleg kit. It was so curious…it was bouncing along and picking up things off of the ground. The big Twolegs kept calling to it to get its attention. So then, my father devised a plan…he had me and my brothers lead the small Twoleg away from the group.”

“Oh, no...” said Lynxheart quietly, his heart dropping down into his stomach. He was already able to guess where this was going. 

“We were just kits, but deep down, I knew it was wrong for us to do this,” said Dusklight. “But no one ever questioned my father, so we did it. Silversnake and Aleks and I mewed at the little one until she…I think it was a female…started following us. I kept telling myself that Twolegs must be bad, if they’d treated my father so terribly and that what we were doing was justified…”

Dusklight wheezed for a few moments, and then caught his breath again. “But at some point, the little one fell down. She let out a kit-like squeak of pain…and I felt bad for her. She was looking at us with these big, innocent eyes…at that moment, I was about to convince my brothers that we couldn’t lead her to the Dark Ones. We’d lead her back to the big Twolegs, and tell my father that we’d failed.” 

Dusklight fell silent. For several long moments, he didn’t speak. Lynxheart thought he might have fallen asleep, until suddenly, he spoke again. 

“But it was too late. Suddenly, a Dark One came springing out from behind one of the stone dens. My brothers and I fled, and we heard horrible, _horrible_ screaming as we ran…”

Dusklight shut his eyes tight.

“The Dark Ones thanked us for the…the gift, as they called it,” he choked out. “My brothers and I…we killed a Twoleg kit. StarClan must know this…they know everything. They’re punishing me for killing an innocent creature.” 

“No, they’re not.” Lynxheart surprised both Dusklight and himself with the sharp firmness to his voice. 

“To be honest, I don’t know if StarClan is still watching over us or not, but I _do_ know for sure that they are not punishing you. “What happened wasn’t your fault. You were just a kit. Your father made you do it. And if StarClan hated you, why would they choose you to become ForestClan’s messenger cat?” 

Dusklight went quiet again. Eventually, he said, “I don’t know…I just…I’ve just hated myself ever since that happened. I know I don’t show it, but…I do.”

“ _I_ don’t hate you,” said Lynxheart, licking Dusklight gingerly between the ears. “Dusklight, I love you more than any other cat, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you better. I promise.” 

“I love you too,” Dusklight mumbled, slumping against Lynxheart. He closed his eyes, and fell into a fitful sleep. 

Lynxheart, however, was unable to sleep. He curled protectively around Dusklight, staring out into the blackness of the night. A breeze had picked up, making the freezing air even colder. Lynxheart shivered, fearing that he wouldn’t be able to keep Dusklight warm enough. And of course, now that it was night, the Dark Ones could be prowling about. 

Suddenly, Lynxheart caught a scent on the breeze. He gasped. It was the scent of a cat—one that he knew. 

_Sunwhisker!_

So he had found his way to the Dead Place. Lynxheart’s gut tightened as he realized that Silversnake must be here too—Sunwhisker must have followed his scent. 

Lynxheart lay there, trembling with cold and fear, as he wondered what to do. He had to find Sunwhisker and talk to him, but he couldn’t leave Dusklight all alone. He cursed himself for not finding a resting place that was more shielded from the wind and cold. 

Suddenly, he felt something odd about the material beneath him. He poked at a spot with his paw—it felt as though some sort of mossy, soft substance was sticking out of a hole. Lynxheart then got an idea. He unsheathed his claws, and began to tear at the bedding. The thin outer layer tore very easily, exposing a mass of the super soft material beneath. In very little time, Lynxheart was able to dig a cat-sized hole. He gently pushed Dusklight until his body settled into the space. Dusklight did not wake—he simply grunted and wheezed in his sleep. 

Lynxheart bit his lip. He hoped that this thick material would keep him warm enough for a while. He leaned down and gave Dusklight another lick on the head. 

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry,” he whispered into his ear. 

Lynxheart then sprang out of the den, running into the cold, black open. 

_I’m going to save all of my remaining Clan mates, or die trying!_ he vowed.


	6. Chapter 6

Small beams of moonlight shone through spaces in the clouds above, guiding Lynxheart as he navigated the Dead Place. He kept his mouth open, hoping to taste Sunwhisker’s scent on the breeze again. It had been very fresh—he had to be somewhere nearby. 

Part of Lynxheart was screaming at himself to go back to the den and hide, that there could be red eyes bobbing through the darkness towards him at any moment. But the need to help his Clan mate outweighed his fear of the Dark Ones. 

Lynxheart shuddered as he remembered how violent and insane Sunwhisker had become when he’d learned that Silversnake had led the Dark Ones to ForestClan’s camp. Lynxheart couldn’t really blame him—Sunwhisker’s mate and very young kits had been slaughtered in the attack. Sunwhisker and Lynxheart had been close, up until recently, as Sunwhisker had mentored Lynxheart. But his former mentor had been shocked and enraged to learn that Lynxheart and Dusklight had been hiding the fact that Silversnake had betrayed ForestClan. After fighting with both of them, Sunwhisker had fled the CliffClan camp to find Silversnake and kill him to avenge his family. 

_The old Sunwhisker would have never sought revenge,_ Lynxheart thought, sadness weighing him down like a stone in his chest. _He must be in agony if he is out for Silversnake’s blood._

The moonlight illuminated a large, two-leveled structure up ahead. Lynxheart stopped in his tracks as he suddenly recognized it. This was where he had spent the night the first time he’d come to the Dead Place! Another breeze blew the scent of Sunwhisker into Lynxheart’s nostrils, which was very fresh. Was Sunwhisker inside this big den? 

Another scent came to him--this one slightly staler. _Silversnake._ He'd been here recently, too. 

Lynxheart's fur bristled as he carefully crept through the entrance, swiveling his ears for the sound of paw steps. Just ahead was a dark passageway that led deep into the den. Lynxheart’s heart sank as he remembered him and Dusklight hunting mice in that very passageway—it was where Dusklight had first showed him how fast he could run. Now he wouldn’t ever be able to run again…not unless Lynxheart could somehow find and kill the original Dark One. The duty weighed like a boulder on Lynxheart’s shoulders, seeming to sink him into the ground. 

He shook his head, dislodging the dark thoughts, and made his way up a series of small stone ledges that connected the lower level of the den to the upper level. _Stairs_ —that was what Dusklight had called them. Lynxheart quickly reached the upper level, and found himself staring down at a hollow in the floor, bathed in silvery moonlight. And, then, suddenly, he spotted a yellow tabby standing by the edge of the hollow, staring out of one of the spaces in the wall. 

“Sunwhisker!” Lynxheart exclaimed. 

Sunwhisker jumped and whirled around, his amber eyes growing wide as he spotted Lynxheart. 

“Lynxheart! How did you…what are you doing here!?” he stuttered.

“We…I mean, I…came to make sure you were okay.” Lynxheart also found himself awkwardly stammering. 

Sunwhisker narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean “we?” he asked. “Who else is with you?” 

“Well, Dusklight,” Lynxheart admitted. “But he’s sick, so I left him resting somewhere.” 

Sunwhisker’s striped yellow fur bristled. “You’ve come to try and stop me from killing Silversnake, haven’t you?”

“Lakefrost wouldn’t have wanted you to kill anyone,” said Lynxheart gently. 

“So? Lakefrost is _dead!_ ” Sunwhisker spat.

“And killing Silversnake won’t bring her and the kits back,” said Lynxheart. 

“You don’t understand how much pain I’m in!” Sunwhisker snarled. “You don’t have kits. You don’t know what it’s like to lose them…especially when they were barely even _a moon old!_ ” The tom’s voice suddenly cracked, losing its fury and dying down to a sob. 

“I won’t rest until I’ve sunk my fangs into that traitor’s throat,” Sunwhisker choked. “I have to do this. I can’t rest until I avenge my family.” 

“You still have your Clan,” Lynxheart reminded him. “ _We’re_ your family.”

“A family doesn’t _lie_ to each other!” Rage had returned to Sunwhisker’s eyes. “You protected the cat who _murdered_ our Clan! You care about him more than the rest of us.” 

“Have you got bees in your brain!?” Lynxheart hissed, his throat tightening. “How can you say that to me!? I was your apprentice!” 

“And then you betrayed me,” said Sunwhisker icily. 

“This isn’t you, Sunwhisker!” Lynxheart’s voice rose to a high-pitched, kit-like cry. “The old Sunwhisker would _never_ act like this!” 

He then lowered his voice, and took a deep breath. In a much calmer tone, he said, “You’re not the only one who’s hurting. I lost my parents. Maybe losing your kits is more painful than losing your parents, but…seeing Foxshade and Goldenleaf lying there, their bodies torn to shreds…that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I should hate Silversnake too. But I don’t….because the Dark Ones have broken him. They’ve been stalking him ever since he was a kit. If he hadn’t surrendered to them, they would have killed him. They killed his family, too—all of the Shadow Seekers. He’s hurting, just like us.” 

Sunwhisker didn’t say anything. His tail was still twitching, but his eyes were softening. He opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly, let out a screech instead, his eyes widening in terror. 

Lynxheart spun around, and saw that several deep black shapes were flying up the stairs. The air pulsated so violently that he nearly fell over. One of them stopped when it came to top, fixating its glowing red eyes on the two cats. It spread its bright white fangs, and let out a guttural, echoing growl. 

Lynxheart and Sunwhisker fled across the cavern, running even though there was nowhere to go. More Dark Ones streamed into the cavern, snarling and roaring. The two toms jumped up into the frame of one of the spaces, staring down below. It was quite a long drop—they’d surely be injured if they jumped. 

However, they didn’t have much time to think about that, as the Dark Ones’ jaws were suddenly only whisker-lengths behind them. Before Lynxheart could even open his mouth to scream, Sunwhisker violently shoved him. He went plummeting downwards wailing in terror as the ground came rushing up to meet him. 

But suddenly, Lynxheart realized that he was headed for a thicket of dead bushes along the wall of the den. The brambles broke his fall; he yelped as the thorns tore at his fur. He struggled wildly, trying to free himself as the cacophony of the Dark Ones raged above him, mixed with what was undeniably the wails of a cat in great agony…

Lynxheart tore himself out of the bushes, clumps of his fur coming off as he did. His mind was whirling with several thoughts, but he listened to the one that stood out the most: 

_Run._

He took off across the flat, stony ground of the Dead Place, following the moonlight back to the den where Dusklight was. Lynxheart could still hear the Dark Ones, but so far, it didn’t seem like any of them were following him. 

He picked up speed as he approached the place where Dusklight was, jumped, and soared through the open space into the den. He looked up at the nest he’d made for the other tom, and froze at what he saw. 

There, standing on the dirty, ragged ledge, with Dusklight’s throat in his fangs, was Silversnake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U26UyPNeh4

“Let him go!” Lynxheart soared through the air, knocking Silversnake off of Dusklight. Both toms went falling to the floor, rolling around and blindly slashing at each other. Lynxheart raked his claws across Silversnake’s face, stunning him long enough for Lynxheart to be able to pin him down on his back. 

“You were going to kill your own brother!?” Lynxheart shrieked. “Why?” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Silversnake hissed. “He’s dying. You don’t need to be a medicine cat to know that. Also, the Dark Ones are going to kill you both. I’m sparing him a violent death.” 

“No! I won’t let anyone kill Dusklight, no matter what!” Lynxheart yowled. 

Silversnake raked his claws down Lynxheart’s limbs and stomach, causing him to let go of the silver tabby. Silversnake darted back towards Dusklight, but Lynxheart grabbed his tail in his jaws and bit down hard. With an enraged screech, Silversnake whirled around, and was met with a blow to the chin. The slender tom went sprawling to the ground, but then, as quickly as a snake, jumped back up again. In a flash of silver, he was on top of Lynxheart, clawing and biting into his pelt. He raked his claws along his opponent’s side, instantly creating a large wound. Lynxheart screeched with pain, his legs giving out under him as blood splattered on the stony floor. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make your death quick,” said Silversnake, placing his claws on Lynxheart’s throat. Lynxheart tried to push him off, but he was in too much pain to move. Blood was pouring from his side, spreading across the floor in a hot, sticky puddle. Lynxheart closed his eyes. _I’m sorry, Dusklight. I failed you._

Suddenly, the weight of Silversnake disappeared. A third voice was yowling furiously—out of the corner of his eye, Lynxheart saw Silversnake wrestling with another cat. In the weak moonlight, he caught a glimpse of tortoiseshell and white fur. 

“Tulipwhisker!” Lynxheart gasped. 

“Lynxheart? Lynxheart!” 

Another cat was standing over him. He looked up, seeing the gray and white face of Hemlocktail swimming in and out of his vision. 

“How did you….get here?” Lynxheart asked weakly. 

“Help me roll him over on his other side.” Hemlocktail was speaking to yet another cat. Suddenly, Grayspots was bending over Lynxheart, gingerly gripping his scruff in his teeth. As Lynxheart was rolled over, he saw that Cherryleaf, Thornfire, Starlingwind, Sprucepaw, Walnutpaw, and Firpaw were standing in a protective circle around him as Tulipwhisker fought Silversnake. Patchmoon had joined her, battering at Silversnake’s head as Tulipwhisker slashed at his flanks. 

“You all came,” Lynxheart breathed.

“Quick, Sprucepaw, get me some of that mossy looking stuff over there,” Hemlocktail pointed to Dusklight’s nest with his tail. “We can use it to try and soak up the blood.” 

“Dusklight doesn’t look so good,” said Starlingwind, who had jumped up on the ledge next to the dark ginger tom. 

“We’ll have to tend to Lynxheart first,” said Hemlocktail. “Hurry, Sprucepaw!” 

Silversnake was slinking away from Tulipwhisker and Patchmoon, his silver fur stained red with blood.

“The Dark Ones will kill you all!” he hissed ferociously. Then, he leaped out of the den and ran off into the night. 

“Let him go,” Lynxheart heard Tulipwhisker say to Patchmoon. “We have other things to worry about right now.” 

Sprucepaw appeared next to Hemlocktail, a wad of the stuff from Dusklight’s nest clutched in his jaws. Hemlocktail took it and pressed it firmly against Lynxheart’s wound, while Sprucepaw went to fetch more of the substance. 

“You’re all here,” said Lynxheart as Hemlocktail worked to staunch the blood flow. “Why?” 

“Because we couldn’t let you be on your own, of course,” Tulipwhisker snapped in response. “You could have asked us to come along.” 

“I’m sorry,” Lynxheart murmured. “Dusklight snuck off in the middle of the night to go find Sunwhisker and Silversnake, and I figured it was…well, best if we went alone.” 

“You’re a mouse brain,” Tulipwhisker growled. “We’re a Clan, remember? We do things _together._ ” 

“I thought you wouldn’t want to come with me,” said Lynxheart. “I was wrong. I’m sorry.” 

“Lynxheart, save your strength,” Hemlocktail ordered. “We can talk about this later, when you’re better.” 

“Perhaps it’s my fault that Lynxheart and Dusklight ran off.” Patchmoon dipped his head. “I was caught up in the heat of the moment, and blamed them for Silversnake betraying our Clan. I was wrong to do so, and I’m sorry.” 

“No, I’m sorry,” Lynxheart groaned as Hemlocktail added more of the soft stuff to his wound. “We should have told everyone the truth about Silversnake.” 

“Apologies can wait,” Hemlocktail sounded quite irritated. “Everyone, please be quiet. I’m trying to concentrate on stopping this blood.” 

Suddenly, a confused, mumbling voice said, “What’s going on?” 

“It’s us, Dusklight,” said Starlingwind. “Don’t worry, everything’s okay.”

“Dusklight!?” Lynxheart called out to him. 

Hemlocktail sighed. “Well, so much for quiet.” 

“Silversnake was here,” Dusklight rasped. “I smell his scent.” 

“Yeah, he was here alright,” Tulipwhisker spat, licking at a deep wound on her shoulder. “That mange-pelt tore me up!” 

“Have you seen Sunwhisker anywhere, Lynxheart?” Grayspots asked. 

Lynxheart closed his eyes, suddenly remembering Sunwhisker’s dreadful screams. 

“He’s dead,” he whispered.

“What!?” Grayspots cried.

However, Lynxheart was not able to explain, as suddenly, Cherryleaf let out a shriek. 

_“There’s Dark Ones!!”_

Lynxheart lifted his head, despite Hemlocktail’s protest. His blood ran cold as he could see several pairs of glowing red eyes bobbing up and down in the near distance. They seemed to be heading right for the den. 

“Fox dung!” Tulipwhisker yowled, her fur bristling. “How do we get out of here!?” 

The red eyes were very rapidly approaching now—the Dark Ones must have seen them. Lynxheart looked around for any sort of openings that led to other dens in the structure, but there were none. He and Dusklight couldn’t run, anyways. They were trapped.

In that moment, Lynxheart’s terror was suddenly lifted, and replaced with another emotion—anger. He was angry that the Dark Ones had killed so many innocent cats. He was sick of being chased by them, and of his Clan being terrorized. And most of all, he was furious that he hadn’t been able to do anything to protect the ones he cared about. 

And now, what was left of ForestClan was going to die...unless Lynxheart had something to say about it. 

Before he was even aware of what he was doing, Lynxheart had sprung to his paws, and was flying through the entrance to den, straight at the Dark Ones. He ignored the cries of his Clan mates, and the hot, sharp pain that flashed from his wound. For the first time, Lynxheart felt no fear as he stared directly at those luminescent red eyes and white fangs. Peering through the darkness, he could see the outlines of their skull-like heads and ragged black pelts. His heart pounded with rage as he stormed towards them, wishing to tear all of these horrible creatures into tiny pieces of flesh and fur. 

“GO AWAY!!” Lynxheart screamed. “LEAVE MY CLAN ALONE, YOU COWARDS!!” 

The Dark Ones came to a sudden halt. They blinked their crimson eyes, staring at Lynxheart, who returned the stare just as fiercely. For a moment, neither they nor Lynxheart moved. Whether they were surprised, intimidated, or amused by his grand display of aggression, he had no idea. Even though Lynxheart knew that he was going to die, at least he had been able to show them, in this brief moment, that he was no longer afraid of them. 

And then, suddenly, two blindingly bright white beams of light cut through the darkness, just fox-lengths away. For a brief moment, Lynxheart could feel fear seeping into him—was this some sort of super powerful Dark One…perhaps the original? But he soon saw that wasn’t the case, as the lights came to a stop. In the white brightness, Lynxheart was able to make out an orange, shiny head…it was the Twoleg’s monster! For some reason its eyes were now glowing as well.

A hole opened in the monster’s side, and the Twoleg emerged. It stepped into the light, and at last, Lynxheart got a clear look of its furless, pink face. It screwed up its tiny eyes against the brightness as it peered at the Dark Ones. 

And then, suddenly, there came a deafening roar from every single one of the monsters. Lynxheart had heard some horrible noises come out of them before…but nothing this stupefying. They spread their jaws, fully revealing their fangs as the screams erupted from their mouths. Their eyes burned wildly, as if suddenly in flames. Then, they all turned away from Lynxheart, and went running straight towards the Twoleg. 

The Twoleg’s mouth dropped open in terror, and its squinted eyes turned very wide. It attempted to jump back into the monster, but the Dark Ones were too fast. One of them was already there, grabbing the Twoleg by one of its long hind legs and pulling it to the ground. The others piled on top, forming a massive cloud of solid black, their howls and snarls drowning out the Twoleg’s screams. 

“Lynxheart!” Tulipwhisker was suddenly at his side. “Quick, run while they’re distracted!” 

For a moment, Lynxheart stood there, frozen as the horrible scene unfolded in front of him. And then, he took off, following his Clan mates as they fled through the Dead Place. Even Dusklight was running, his terror giving him the strength to move. He almost seemed like a messenger cat again, his dark ginger fur flashing in the dark as he ran at the head of the crowd. 

The cats ran until they reached the woods at the edge of the Dead Place, and then continued, not stopping for a very long time.


	8. Chapter 8

“Well, this has been a lot of fun… _not,_ ” Firpaw grumbled as she pulled a thorn out of her pad. 

It had been a few sunrises since they’d left the Dead Place. The ForestClan cats were gathered in a small clearing, where they planned to settle down for the night. Lynxheart looked concernedly over at Dusklight, who was curled up asleep between two huge roots of an oak. He hadn’t been able to walk for long periods of time, and sometimes had to be carried between two other cats. Hemlocktail had brought a few herbs with him, but they hadn’t done much to help Dusklight. Hopefully they would be back at CliffClan’s camp soon, where there would be a total of three medicine cats and a full stock of herbs to help him. 

As for Lynxheart, he’d had to be carried some, too. He’d lost more blood running away from the Dark Ones—fortunately Hemlocktail had been fortunate enough to find enough cobwebs to staunch the rest of the flow once they’d gotten to a safe place. Although it had mostly closed, the wound was still red and painful—Lynxheart regularly licked it to keep infection away, and couldn’t wait until they were back in the CliffClan camp, where it could be properly treated. 

“Don’t worry, Firpaw,” Sprucepaw reassured his sister. “We’ll be back at CliffClan soon.” 

“Are we ever going to live in our old home again?” Walnutpaw asked in a quavering voice. 

“Maybe, once green-leaf arrives,” Patchmoon told his son. His tone was reassuring, but the black and white tom’s eyes were full of uncertainty. 

Lynxheart sighed, resting down beside Dusklight. He still couldn’t believe how lucky they’d been to escape the Dark Ones yet again—even though it had been at the cost of someone’s life. Lynxheart hadn’t been able to get the image of the Dark Ones tearing into the Twoleg as it screamed helplessly. He wasn’t sure if Twolegs were good or bad creatures, but no living thing deserved to die at the fangs of the Dark Ones. 

They’d held vigil for Sunwhisker, whose body was most likely in shreds, back in the Dead Place. Guilt over his former mentor’s death stabbed Lynxheart like a thorn. Sunwhisker had sacrificed himself to save him. He had been such a noble warrior, yet would never be buried in the ForestClan camp with Lakefrost and their kits. At least, in his last moments, he had seemed to remember his love for Lynxheart. 

“We need a leader.” Thornfire suddenly said. 

Tulipwhisker sighed heavily. “Now’s not the time to think about that, Thornfire. We have to focus on getting back to CliffClan first.” 

“But I’m tired of us wandering aimlessly, not knowing what to do.” Thornfire’s ginger tabby pelt bristled. “I know there’s not many of us left, but we still need a leader and a deputy, if this Clan is to survive.”

“StarClan will tell us when it is time to choose cats for those positions,” said Hemlocktail. 

_If that’s the case, then they sure are taking their sweet time,_ Lynxheart thought bitterly. 

“Why can’t we just choose a leader and deputy now?” Thornclaw snorted impatiently. “Or at least, choose temporary ones for now. The leader doesn’t have to run to the Moonlit Pool and get their nine lives right this moment. I just feel like we need to restore some sort of order to the Clan.” 

Cherryleaf laid her tail soothingly across her brother’s shoulders. “There will be order again, eventually,” she said. “I know our Clan will survive. In fact, it’s about to get a little bit bigger.” 

“What are you talking about?” Thornclaw growled. 

“I’m expecting kits,” said Cherryleaf. “They’re Grayspots’s. I’ve only told him so far, because I wanted to be sure…but I am pretty sure now. I felt one of them move inside me, just now.” 

Immediately, the atmosphere grew from tense to joyful. 

“That’s great news!” Tulipwhisker licked Cherryleaf’s ear. “Congratulations!” 

“New kits are just what we need!” Starlingwind purred. 

Even Lynxheart couldn’t help but feel happy about this news. He bumped heads with Grayspots, purring congratulations to his friend. 

“You’ll make a great father,” he said. 

“Well I sure hope so,” said Grayspots, sounding slightly nervous. “If they’re anything like me, then Cherryleaf and I are in a bit of trouble.” 

He looked over at Starlingwind. “And if they’re anything like their uncle, then we’re in even bigger trouble!” 

“Hey!” Starlingwind playfully swatted at Grayspots. “You got into plenty of mischief as a kit yourself!” 

“I’m sure you’ll be a good father too, Starlingwind,” said Tulipwhisker. He tone was oddly soft. 

“Well, I’ll sure try to be, if I ever have kits,” said Starlingwind. Then, suddenly his eyes grew wide. 

“Wait…you don’t mean…”

Tulipwhisker nodded. “I’m expecting kits too—your kits. I found out the day we left to go find Lynxheart, but…I didn’t want to tell you then in case the mission…didn’t go so well for us. I’m sorry.” 

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Starlingwind thrust his muzzle into Tulipwhisker’s tortoiseshell and white fur. “You’ve told me now, and that’s all that matters!” 

Lynxheart felt as though a powerful wind had just blasted him off of his paws. “I—I’m going to be an uncle?” he stuttered. 

Tulipwhisker nodded. 

“I guess I’ll have some company in the nursery then!” Cherryleaf purred. 

“Huh?” Dusklight drowsily lifted his head, having been awakened by everyone talking. “What’s going on?”

“Cherryleaf and Tulipwhisker are both expecting kits!” Lynxheart exclaimed. 

Dusklight’s eyes widened. “Oh…that’s great!” he cried. “ForestClan needs more warriors.”

Patchmoon looked towards his kits. “You know,” he said slowly. “The apprentices have been through a lot—more than any cat should ever have to go through, especially when they’re so young. But they’ve handled it all beautifully, and they’ve gained the courage of warriors. I know they’ve only been in training for a few moons, but…could we possibly let them become warriors now?”

The apprentices gasped, exchanging excited looks. Lynxheart studied the three young cats. Sprucepaw had grown large, and had a mature, wise look to his eyes for a cat that had left the nursery not too long ago. Strong muscles rippled under his dappled coat, and at his feet were the remains of a large hawk that he and his siblings had caught and killed for the Clan to share. Firpaw’s eyes gleamed with a formidable passion, and Walnutpaw puffed out his chest, his usual nervous look replaced with a proud expression. 

“Well, who is going to grant them their warrior names?” Cherryleaf tilted her head with uncertainty. 

Lynxheart frowned. She had a point—it was usually a Clan leader’s duty to give names to new warriors. 

“What if we, their mentors, do it?” Grayspots suggested. 

“Will StarClan approve of that?” Tulipwhisker looked over at Hemlocktail. 

“I think they will understand our decision,” he said with a nod. “If any apprentices ever deserved to become warriors, it’s those three.” 

“Alright then, Firpaw, come here.” Tulipwhisker beckoned to her apprentice. The young tortoiseshell tried to appear collected as she approached her mentor, but her quivering paws gave away her excitement. 

“Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” she asked. 

“I do,” Firpaw replied.

“Then I shall grant you your warrior name. From now on, you’ll be known as Fircloud. StarClan honors your courage and determination, and we welcome you as a full member of ForestClan.”

Tulipwhisker placed her chin on top of Fircloud’s for a brief moment, just as Wolfstar would have done during a warrior’s ceremony. Fircloud respectfully licked Tulipwhisker’s shoulder in response. As she backed away, everyone yowled out her new name. 

“Fircloud! Fircloud!” Patchmoon yowled the loudest of all, his yellow eyes full of pride. It seemed that he approved of the name Tulipwhisker had chosen for his daughter; Lynxheart had a feeling that his sister had intentionally chosen the ending “cloud” in honor of Fircloud’s deceased mother, Dustycloud. 

Grayspots spoke next. “Sprucepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect the Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Sprucepaw said. 

“Then I name you Sprucetail,” Grayspots purred, placing his head on top of the younger cat’s. “StarClan honors your loyalty and kindness, and we welcome you as a full member of ForestClan.” 

“Sprucetail! Sprucetail!” After the cheers died down, Starlingwind and Walnutpaw went next. 

“Walnutpaw, do you promise to defend the Clan with…wait, that’s not right…um…” Starlingwind stuttered, embarrassment flashing in his eyes. 

“I think you start with ‘Do you promise to uphold the warrior code?’” said Walnutpaw patiently. 

“Oh, right! I remember now!” Starlingwind cleared his throat. “Walnutpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?” 

“I do,” Walnutpaw promised.

“Then I grant you your warrior name—Walnutfur! StarClan honors your humbleness and honesty, and we welcome you as a full member of ForestClan.” 

“Walnutfur! Walnutfur!” everyone chanted. The three newly made warriors stood in the center of the clearing, tilting their heads at a proud angle and purring loudly in unison. 

“Walnutfur!” Dusklight yowled. Suddenly, his cheer died down into a coughing fit. Phlegm was streaming from his nostrils, and his breathing sounded as though he had a massive hairball lodged in his throat. Lynxheart crouched over him and anxiously licked at Dusklight’s coat. His coughing soon ceased, but his breaths were still short and ragged.

Worry seized Lynxheart like a set of icy claws. It was certainly a blessing for ForestClan to gain new warriors and kits, but Dusklight was a messenger cat—one of the most important cats in the Clan. Lynxheart didn’t know how everyone—or he himself—would cope if he couldn’t be healed.


	9. Chapter 9

The scent of sparrow wafted into Lynxheart’s mouth. He carefully crept along the rocky ground, until the scent grew pungent. He spotted the bird in a shallow ditch up ahead, pecking at the dirt. Lynxheart lunged forward, and in one swift movement, grabbed the sparrow by the neck and bit down hard. He purred with satisfaction as his prey went limp in his jaws. 

Three moons had passed since the trip to the Dead Place, and the bitter leaf-bare had given away to warm, sunny new-leaf. The ForestClan and LakeClan refugees were still living in CliffClan’s camp, as several vicious snowstorms and frigid temperatures had kept them all in the camp. Prey had been so scarce, that they had gone days at a time without eating. Lynxheart’s ribs were visible beneath his golden tabby and white pelt. He relished the taste of warm blood and flesh in his mouth, having missed it dearly. 

Most of the cats had managed to survive the cold weather, except for two CliffClan warriors, Gustfur and Cragclaw. They’d come down with a bad case of greencough, and in their weakened, starved state, were not able to fight it off. However, everyone else had made it to new-leaf. Cherryleaf’s kits had been born a few sunrises ago, and Tulipwhisker was expecting hers any day now. 

Even Dusklight had survived. However, he wasn’t faring too well. Ever since they’d come back from the Dead Place, he’d stayed in the medicine den. Hemlocktail and the other two medicine cats could not figure out what was wrong with him. They’d tried multiple remedies, but nothing had been working. Dusklight was growing weaker every day; he was hardly eating, clumps of his fur were falling out, and he was sometimes seized by horrible, spasmodic coughs and could barely breathe. Lynxheart’s blood ran cold as he thought of what Hemlocktail had said to him recently.

_“I am so sorry, Lynxheart, but I think we’re going to lose him."_

Lynxheart narrowed his eyes, and carried his sparrow back towards the rest of the hunting patrol. He wasn’t going to let Dusklight die—he was going to find the original Dark One and kill it, if it was the last thing he ever did. 

“Nice catch!” Robinsong, the CliffClan deputy, complimented Lynxheart as she saw him carrying the sparrow. 

Lynxheart dipped head. “Same to you,” he said, noticing a limp rabbit lying at Robinsong’s paws. 

The CliffClan deputy licked blood off of her muzzle as the warm sun cast a dappled glow on her pale brown coat. 

“This rabbit practically hopped into my paws,” she said. “Of course, it immediately realized its mistake and tried to run, but I was faster.” 

Lynxheart purred. He’d developed a fondness for Robinsong—she was witty and funny, but still a respectable deputy. Her humor and optimism had given everyone hope during the cold, dark moons of leaf-bare. 

The rest of the patrol gathered together as the hunt ended. Sprucetail and Fircloud were there, along with Bramblesnow and Shadetuft of CliffClan, and Nightpool and Plumshade of LakeClan. Bramblesnow and Shadetuft’s new apprentices, Dawnpaw and Russetpaw, bounded along beside them as they headed back to camp. The LakeClan apprentices Cranepaw and Ripplepaw were there too—Lynxheart had first met them as kits, and marveled at how big they’d grown. Cranepaw’s muscles rippled under his thick gray tabby and white coat, while Ripplepaw was sleek and nimble. It wouldn’t be long now until they would be made warriors. 

The patrol was greeting by welcoming purrs as they arrived with prey. Lynxheart was thankful that, for the most part, the three Clans had been able to live together in peace. A few verbal fights had broken out during the time of hunger, but for the most part, the CliffClan warriors had come to accept the cats from LakeClan and ForestClan as part of their own Clan. However, the future was still uncertain—Lynxheart had heard multiple cats mumbling to each other about where ForestClan and LakeClan would go now that new-leaf had returned, and there had been no sign of the Dark Ones lately. 

Lynxheart bit his lip. He would love to believe that the Dark Ones had finally left the Clan territories, but he knew better than that. They were probably still lurking in the depths of the forest, waiting for unsuspecting cats to walk into their jaws. Lynxheart had been so focused on surviving leaf-bare with his Clan mates, that he’d pushed the Dark Ones out of his mind. But now that new-leaf was here, his mind was whirling with worried, confused thoughts. How was he supposed to find the original Dark One and kill it to save Dusklight? It surely wasn’t going to come strolling into camp and let Lynxheart kill it right there. And even if it did, he had no idea how exactly to kill it. The Dark Ones moved faster than any natural predator, and could kill several cats within seconds. And even then, if Lynxheart did somehow manage kill it, would Dusklight really be cured?

Lynxheart was snapped out of his thoughts by an ear-piercing wail of pain. Startled, he looked around the camp, trying to spot the cat that was hurt. He saw Hemlocktail hurrying to the nursery, carrying a wad of herbs in his jaws. 

“Lynxheart!” Starlingwind cried out to him. “Tulipwhisker is kitting!” 

Lynxheart quickly deposited the sparrow on the fresh-kill pile and went streaking towards the nursery. It was a giant cave in the tall stone wall, the floor of which was lined with moss, flower petals, and bird feathers. Tulipwhisker lay on her side in a nest, groaning and screwing up her eyes in pain. Nearby, Cherryleaf was curled up in another nest with her two newborn daughters, Cloudkit and Mistkit. Cloudkit was light brown with white splotches all over her body, while Mistkit had the same spotted gray coat as her father, Grayspots. He had named her in memory of his mother, Mistspeckle. There were two other queens in the nursery—Ivyshine of CliffClan and Smewflight of LakeClan. Their young kits peered curiously out of their nests as Hemlocktail, Starlingwind, and Lynxheart crowded around Tulipwhisker. 

“Oh, StarClan, it hurts!” the tortoiseshell and white she-cat wailed. 

“It’s alright, my love,” Starlingwind soothingly licked his mate's neck. 

Hemlocktail pushed Lynxheart and Starlingwind to the side. “Stay back, I need to see the kits as they come out,” he said. The gray and white tom quickly chewed up some fennel leaves, and then dribbled the juice into Tulipwhisker’s open mouth. 

“This will help ease the pain,” the medicine cat said. 

“Can’t you give me a poppy seed?” Tulipwhisker groaned as her body shook with a powerful spasm. 

“I’m afraid it’s not a good idea to do that while kitting,” said Hemlocktail. “Just wait a moment, and the fennel should take effect.”

“Easy for you to say!” Tulipwhisker spat. “You’re not the one pushing kits out of your body!” 

Her voice died down to a moan as her body trembled again. “Make it stop!” she screeched. 

“Lynxheart, go fetch me a stick from outside for her to bite down on,” said Hemlocktail.

Lynxheart hurried outside, scanning the camp for sticks. He found one sticking out from the bushes that made up the warrior’s den, pulled it out, and ran back into the nursery. Tulipwhisker clamped her jaws down on the stick and let out a muffled scream as a wet bundle slid out between her hind legs and into the nest. 

“You’ve done it, Tulipwhisker!” Hemlocktail exclaimed. He leaned forward and gently tore open the kitting sac. A tiny dark red kit tumbled out. It opened its mouth and gave a high-pitched, loud wail. 

“It’s a healthy little she-kit!” Hemlocktail purred. He gingerly picked her up by the scruff and placed her in the curve of Tulipwhisker’s body. The agony in the queen’s eyes faded for a moment, replaced with a look of utter adoration. 

“Oh, she’s beautiful!” Tulipwhisker breathed. 

Then there came another wave of spasms. Lynxheart held the stick out for his sister again. She grabbed ahold of it, trembling violently. 

“This kit seems stuck,” said Hemlocktail, concern creeping into his voice. Another bundle was now visible, partially out of Tulipwhisker, but not moving. Hemlocktail carefully placed his paws on Tulipwhisker’s flank and pressed down on it. 

“Is she going to be okay!?” Starlingwind exclaimed. “Can you get the kit out!?” 

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen,” Hemlocktail promised him.

 _“Quiet!”_ Tulipwhisker snarled. “It hurts to _hear!”_

Hemlocktail pressed down harder on Tulipwhisker, and the bundle began to slide out of her. Starlingwind leaned his head against his mate’s as she sank her fangs into the stick, biting down so hard it snapped in half. 

“You’ve done it! The other kit is out!” Hemlocktail cried as the bundle plopped into the nest. He pulled the membrane of the kitting sack away, revealing a pale brown tabby and white kit. 

“This one’s a tom!” Hemlocktail purred. He picked the tiny cat up and placed him next to his sister. The kits squeaked and mewled as they burrowed their faces into Tulipwhisker’s stomach in search of milk. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s the last one,” said Hemlocktail. “You should be feeling better soon, Tulipwhisker.”

“Thank you, Hemlocktail,” Tulipwhisker panted. She lifted her head and looked down at her kits, who had found her milk and were suckling vigorously. 

“Hello, my lovelies,” she whispered, all the pain and anger having vanishing from her voice. “I’m so glad you are finally here.”

“And I am too,” Starlingwind crooned, leaning down to gently lick the kits. “I’m your father. I’m going to play with you and teach you how to hunt when you get a little bigger.”

Lynxheart looked down at the kits, his stressful thoughts from before fading away as his heart swelled with affection for his new niece and nephew. He had never seen such beautiful, perfect kits. 

“Mother and Father would be so proud,” he told his sister. 

Tulipwhisker nodded, her amber eyes tinged with sadness for a moment. “I hope they can see them from StarClan.” 

Lynxheart turned his head as he suddenly heard movement from behind him. He gasped as he saw Dusklight peering into the entrance to the nursery. 

“Dusklight!” he purred, coming over to touch noses with him. “Are you feeling okay today? You haven’t left the medicine den in ages!” 

“I know. But I heard that Tulipwhisker was having her kits, so I wanted to see them,” Dusklight replied.

His voice was weak, and his eyes were glazed over with exhaustion. His once sleek flame-colored pelt was ragged and patchy, and clung to his bony frame. Streams of fluid were running from his nose and eyes. His paws trembled as he feebly licked at a bald patch near his shoulder. 

“Come right in,” Lynxheart wrapped his tail around Dusklight’s shoulders and led him inside.

“Are you sure he should be near the kits?” Smewflight, the LakeClan queen, asked concernedly.

“Don’t worry, his illness doesn’t seem to be contagious,” Hemlocktail reassured her.

Lynxheart bit his lip. Wormclaw had told him that Dusklight’s illness had been caused by long exposure to the toxic air at the Dead Place. He felt that maybe he should tell Hemlocktail and the other medicine cats, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he should tell others about Wormclaw. Medicine cats were always very loyal to StarClan—would they believe that they’d been abandoned by their ancestors? 

Lynxheart’s troubled thoughts were dissipated once again by the kits, as Dusklight looked down at them, happiness shining in his eyes for the first time in a long while.

“They’re adorable,” he purred. “Have you given then names yet?” 

“I was thinking Flamekit for this one,” said Tulipwhisker, touching her nose to the red she-kit. “I think I’ll let Starlingwind name the other one.”

Starlingwind thought for a moment, studying the speckled brown and white tom-kit. Then he said, “How does Frogkit sound?”

“That sounds perfect,” Tulipwhisker purred. 

Suddenly, a high-pitched yowl of terror came from outside. Bristling, Lynxheart and the others hurried out of the nursery to see what was going on. Another hunting patrol had just returned, and they were standing by the entrance to the camp, all of them trembling and wide-eyed.

“Dark Ones! They’re headed for camp!” cried a CliffClan tom named Bearpelt. 

At that moment, the narrow gap in the rock wall that served as the camp’s entrance grew pitch black. Two glowing red eyes appeared, and a deep, thunderous growl echoed through the stone-encircled camp.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated this fic in a few months. I've been struggling with depression and dealing with the recent death of my dog, as well as working on another story. But I promise to try and update this fic regularly again. Thank you for your patience, readers.

Wails and screams of terror filled the air. The warriors backed away from the entrance, their pelts spiking up to twice their usual size as they stared at the Dark One with looks of utmost horror. Lynxheart realized that this must be CliffClan’s first time seeing one. And now, all the Clans were trapped in the same place, at this Dark One’s mercy…

The Dark One stuck its muzzle into the entrance, revealing its long, glowing white fangs. More screams rang out as the creature twisted and turned, trying to fit its head through the entrance. The rock wall seemed to block the pulsations from the Dark One, but Lynxheart could still sense a slight vibration in the air. 

“Everyone, calm down!” Drizzlestar ran to the front of the crowd, motioning for his warriors to stand back as he stood protectively in front of them. “I don’t think it can fit through the entrance!” he yowled. 

The Dark One lashed out an enormous black paw, and began to claw at the earth, as if trying to dig its way into camp. Angry, shrill howls shook the air as its red eyes continued to keep the cats in a paralyzed state of terror. 

“Great StarClan, what do we do!?” screeched Bearpelt. The brown tom was one of CliffClan’s bravest warriors, and very large and muscular—but now he was trembling like a helpless kit. The scent of fear saturated the air. Another CliffClan warrior flattened himself to the ground and moaned as a puddle of urine spread out from under him. 

Suddenly, two gray shapes went running towards the Dark One. Cranepaw and Ripplepaw stood just out of reach of its paw, growling menacingly and bearing their fangs. Lynxheart gasped at the fierceness in the young cats’ eyes. They weren’t afraid! 

“Leave us alone, you monster!” Cranepaw snarled.

“This is for Sunnymist!” Ripplepaw yowled the name of her former mentor, who had died saving her from a pack of Dark Ones. The gray tabby she-cat lashed out with her claws, and raked them across the Dark One’s foreleg. 

_**“ROOAAWWRRRR!!!”**_ Lynxheart’s bones shook as the enraged scream of the Dark One rattled the air. It struck out at Ripplepaw with its frighteningly long claws, but she nimbly darted out of the way. Then, Cranepaw jumped forward and bit down on the monster’s enormous black paw, which was nearly the size of his head. The Dark One retracted its foreleg, which appeared a moment later and clawed Cranepaw upside the shoulder. The apprentice went sprawling as three jagged, bloody lines appeared on him. Lynxheart watched in amazement as Cranepaw sprang to his paws, completely ignoring his wounds. He let out a battle cry, his blue eyes blazing as he lunged at the Dark One’s leg and bit it once again. 

_**“YOU VILE PESTS.”**_

Gasps and shrieks erupted from the crowd as the Dark One spoke. Its deep, garbled voice seemed to throttle the air. 

_**“YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER. WE WILL KILL YOU ALL.”** _

And then, suddenly, the Dark One retreated. Light poured through the entrance as its horrible black face disappeared. After a few still, quiet moments, Cranepaw crept forward and looked through the entrance. “It’s gone!” he exclaimed. 

Cranepaw and Ripplepaw’s parents, Icewillow and Bluefrost, went hurrying over to them. Icewillow nuzzled Rippepaw fiercely, while Bluefrost licked at Cranepaw’s deep slash marks.

“I am so proud of you both.” Shellstar approached the two apprentices, her voice thick with awe. “You displayed the courage of a warrior, just now. I think it’s time that both of you were granted your warrior names.”

Cranepaw and Ripplepaw gasped, exchanging excited looks. 

“I call upon StarClan to look down on these two brave apprentices,” Shellstar spoke, looking up at the sky. “They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and are ready to receive your warrior names.”

She turned to Cranepaw first. “Cranepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” said Cranepaw solemnly. 

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior name,” said Shellstar. “From now on, you will be known as Craneflight. StarClan honors your fearlessness and nobility, and we welcome you as a full member of LakeClan.”

“Craneflight! Craneflight!” Cats from all three Clans loudly yowled the new warrior’s name. The longhaired gray tabby and white tom stood there proudly, ignoring the blood dripping from his shoulder as his blue eyes glowed with the look of a fearsome warrior. Lynxheart felt a surge of pride towards the younger cat, who he had known since he was a kit. He’d grown so strong and brave since then. 

Shellstar turned to Ripplepaw as Grebefeather emerged from the medicine den and hurried over to Craneflight with a bundle of cobwebs and herbs. 

“Ripplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?” the LakeClan leader asked. 

“I do,” Ripplepaw replied.

“Then from this moment on, you will be known as Ripplemist. I name you in honor of your mentor, Sunnymist, who died protecting you from the Dark Ones. StarClan honors your cleverness and passion, and we welcome you as a full member of LakeClan.”

“Ripplemist! Craneflight! Ripplemist! Craneflight!” 

Everyone chanted the names, over and over again, for so long that Drizzlestar eventually had to signal with his tail for them to quiet down. 

“These two young cats showed a great display of bravery,” he said, blinking admirably at Craneflight and Ripplemist. “However, the Dark Ones have found this camp, which, obviously, is not good. I want some guards to go up to the lookout point and stay there until further notice, and I want more guards near the entrance.” 

“How do we fight these creatures!?” Bearpelt exclaimed. 

“We can’t,” Lynxheart told him grimly. “They are stronger and faster than any animal we’ve seen before. Craneflight and Ripplemist were brave, but they survived only because they were shielded by the rock wall.” 

“Is StarClan punishing us for something!?” a CliffClan tabby she-cat wailed. 

“No, they are not,” said Drizzlestar reassuringly. “StarClan would never create such horrible monsters. They came from the Dead Place.”

“But how can we keep the kits safe!?” Bearpelt cried. 

“We will be safe within the camp,” said Drizzlestar. “The Dark Ones cannot get past the rock barrier. However, we’ll have to be cautious when we go out to hunt.” 

The air grew thick with scared voices as the cats talked among each other. Lynxheart made his way through the crowd towards Dusklight, who was sitting on his hindquarters and wheezing. 

“Let’s get you back to the medicine den,” said Lynxheart, wrapping his tail around the ginger tom’s shoulders and nudging him to his paws. His gut clenched as Dusklight’s ragged, pained breathing echoed in his ear. Hemocktail had said he had fluid in his chest, and it definitely sounded like it. Lynxheart could not imagine how much pain the messenger cat was in. 

They headed into the medicine den, which was a gulch in the earth underneath a briar patch. Lynxheart led Dusklight to his nest, and gently laid him down in the soft moss. Dusklight let out a groan and closed his eyes. Lynxheart shut his own eyes, barely able to look at his poor friend. Then, the irritated voice of an elder caused him to open them again.

“For the last time, Grousetail, I’m not sick!” Two elders were there in the den, being looked over by the CliffClan medicine cat. One of them, a scrawny yellow tom named Weedtail, was arguing with Grousetail.

“I coughed slightly this morning, but I’m fine now,” he insisted. “I don’t need medicine.”

“I want to give you some chickweed just in case,” said Grousetail. 

“I said I’m not sick!” Weedtail spat. “Save the herbs for cats that really need it!” 

“Tanglebriar, dear, don’t be rude,” said the other elder, a skinny dark brown tabby she-cat named Twigflower. Her amber eyes had a very distant look to them, as if old age had clouded her mind. 

“For the last time, I’m not Tanglebriar!” Weedtail snapped. Looking over towards Lynxheart, he grumbled, “We do this every day. She thinks I’m her mate, who died moons ago.” 

“But you _are_ Tanglebriar,” Twigflower insisted. 

“No I’m not!” Weedtail hissed, turning back to her. “I’m Weedtail! Tanglebriar is _dead_ , remember!? He died last greenleaf.” 

Twigflower’s dull eyes brightened, as if she were suddenly remembering. 

“Oh that’s right,” she rasped. She then narrowed her eyes. “Well good riddance, he was a useless mate anyways.” 

Dusklight let out a grunt that sounded like laughter, but it quickly turned into a violent cough. Lynxheart laid down in the nest, curling himself around Dusklight until the latter’s coughs died down into a faint wheeze. 

_I want Dusklight and I to be able to grow old together, so we can have banter like that,_ Lynxheart thought. He laid his chin on Dusklight’s side, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

_Wormclaw, what do I do? Please help me._


	11. Chapter 11

“Lynxheart. Hey, wake up!”

Someone was prodding Lynxheart with a paw. Opening his eyes, he was startled to see nothing but darkness. However, his eyes soon adjusted, and he could make out a familiar face.

“There you are!” Lynxheart snapped. “Where have you been? I’ve been asking you for help for a long time now!” 

“I’ll take that as a thank you,” Wormclaw retorted. “If you want me to keep helping you, then you could show a little more gratitude.” 

Lynxheart bit back a growl. “Sorry,” he said, heaving himself to his paws. “But I just don’t know what to do. The Dark Ones have found the CliffClan camp, and Dusklight keeps getting worse!”

“I’m aware of that,” said Wormclaw, his whiskers twitching irritably. “Which is why I’m going to show you how to fight a Dark One.” 

Lynxheart gasped. “What, really!?” 

“At least, I’ll show you the techniques I used on the one I fought,” said Wormclaw. “I was pretty lucky to be able to kill it, and I lost my own life in the process, but it worked.” 

The pale brown tom unsheathed his claws. “It’s basically the same as fighting a large predator, like a wolf...except the Dark Ones move really, _really_ fast, so obviously, fighting them is a challenge.” 

He flicked his tail, signaling for Lynxheart to follow him. They crept through the dark woods until they reached a better lit place; a clearing with a rotting willow, with tendrils covered in the strange fungus that gave the surroundings a pale green glow.

 _What’s with all these dead trees in StarClan?_ Lynxheart thought. _Isn’t this supposed to be a beautiful place? Or maybe everything here is dead, not just the cats._

Wormclaw sprang onto the trunk of a nearby tree and scrambled up to a branch.

“First, I jumped down from a tree and landed on the Dark One’s back,” he told Lynxheart. “If you grab ahold of your enemy and bite them as you land, you’ll do more damage. Of course, you won’t kill the Dark One right away, but it’s a good start.” 

Wormclaw leaped from the branch and sailed downwards through the air. He landed on a twig, which snapped in half under his forepaws. 

“Now you try,” he said. “But you’ll be landing on my back. Hold on as hard as you can, and bite me.”

“Um…” Lynxheart wasn’t quite sure how he felt about this. He’d never dealt such a violent attack before.

Wormclaw snorted. “Don’t worry, you can’t hurt me. I’m dead, remember?” 

Lynxheart climbed up the tree and onto the branch. He positioned himself, carefully balancing as he stared down at Wormclaw. Then, he jumped. Wormclaw let out a grunt as Lynxheart landed on his back, squashing him into the grass. Lynxheart dug his claws into his opponent’s pelt as deep as he could, and clamped his jaws down on Wormclaw’s scruff. He gasped in surprise as very real, warm blood trickled into his mouth. Wormclaw took this moment as on opportunity to shake Lynxheart off. For such a scrawny cat, he was surprisingly strong. He swiftly rolled Lynxheart over on his back, pinned him down, and placed the tips of his claws on his throat. 

“And you’re dead,” he growled. 

With a hiss of frustration, Lynxheart kicked Wormclaw hard in the stomach and clawed at his shoulders. The older tom loosened his grip; Lynxheart wriggled out from under him and unbalanced him with another blow to the shoulder. Wormclaw hissed furiously as drops of blood and bits of fur flew up into the air. 

“How are you bleeding!?” Lynxheart panted. “You said I couldn’t hurt you. You’re _dead!_ ”

“Well, this is just a dream,” Wormclaw reminded him. “My spirit is physically here, but everything that happens here in StarClan is an illusion.” 

Lynxheart grunted as suddenly, the dead cat gave him a very real-seeming shove into the grass, toppling him over. 

“This is why you don’t make conversation during a battle!” Wormclaw raked his claws across Lynxheart’s side, causing him to screech. For an illusion, this fight was really painful! 

“You have to treat me like I’m a much bigger animal,” said Wormclaw. He curled his lip, sneering, “You're not a kit. You can’t just nip and kick at a Dark One.” 

With a snarl, Lynxheart whipped his head up and smashed his forehead into Wormclaw’s. His opponent jumped off of him with a startled yowl. Lynxheart sprang to his paws, and then back onto Wormclaw’s back, tugging at his scruff with all his might. 

“That’s how you do it!” Wormclaw exclaimed. “Try to get me to fall on my side or back, so you can attack my throat or stomach!” 

Lynxheart bit down hard on Wormclaw’s spine, causing the other tom to collapse into the grass. But then, suddenly, the other tom grabbed his ear in his teeth yanked hard. Lynxheart screeched and raked his claws across Wormclaw’s face, forcing him to let go. 

“Come on, you’re getting nowhere,” Wormclaw growled. “You have to fight like you want to kill me. If you’re too weak, you won’t ever be able to save Dusklight.” 

Lynxheart flew at Wormclaw, knocking the tom over on his side. His heart pounded in his ears as he pinned Wormclaw down, grabbing the folds of his neck fur and biting down hard…

“Okay, let go. Let go!” Wormclaw raked his hind claws across Lynxheart’s stomach. The latter backed away, panting hard. His wounds were stinging sharply—for a cat who was just a spirit, Wormclaw had dealt quite a bit of damage! 

“So is that how you killed the Dark One?” Lynxheart asked, licking at a bleeding scratch on his shoulder. 

“More or less,” said Wormclaw. “I got really lucky, and managed to pierce its jugular vein. Of course, I was so heavily wounded that I died as it did.” 

“Do you think there’s a way to survive a battle with a Dark One?” Lynxheart flattened his ears in fear.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid to die,” Wormclaw growled. 

“I’m not,” said Lynxheart. “But…if I break this curse, and Dusklight gets better…I want to be able to live the rest of my life with him. He’ll be very sad if I’m gone.” 

“Well, if you do nothing, the Dark Ones will eventually kill everyone.” Wormclaw narrowed his glowering orange eyes. He then shrugged. “But who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky and survive. But eventually, we all have to die. Life is short, sadly.” 

Wormclaw’s voice began to fade away as he talked. The last few words echoed distantly in Lynxheart’s ears as the darkness gave away to the CliffClan medicine den. 

“Lynxheart, are you okay?” Hemlocktail must have woken him up; the medicine cat was staring down at him in concern. 

“Y-yeah,” Lynxheart stuttered, his mind still in the awkward transition between sleep and wakefulness. 

“What in StarClan’s name happened to you!?” Hemlocktail exclaimed, looking startled. 

“What do you mean?” Lynxheart was confused until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning to look at his shoulder, he was shocked to see that it was still bleeding. He hurt all over—every claw mark that Wormclaw had left on him was still there! 

“Oh…I’m bleeding…” Lynxheart tried to suppress the fear in his voice. “Um…there must be thorns in this nest.” 

Helmocktail narrowed his green eyes. He obviously wasn’t falling for that, but instead of asking more questions, he simply said, “We need to talk, alone.” 

Careful not to disturb Dusklight, who he was still curled up with, Lynxheart pushed himself from up the nest on shaky legs. Dusklight whimpered as his body was gently shifted. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a bit,” Lynxheart murmured in the ginger tom’s ear. He gingerly licked Dusklight’s head, and then followed Hemlocktail to a corner of the large medicine den. Grousetail was busy checking his herb stocks, while Grebefeather appeared to be outside somewhere. Still, even with the den mostly deserted, Hemlocktail spoke in almost a whisper as he talked to Lynxheart. 

“I had a dream early this morning,” he said. “I would have told you about it sooner, but in between Tulipwhisker having her kits and the Dark Ones appearing…well, I haven’t found the time.” 

Lynxheart swallowed nervously. Did Hemlocktail know about Wormclaw training him? He couldn’t see why Hemlocktail would oppose to him learning useful battle skills, but some strange sense of dread told him he that should keep his private lessons to himself. 

Hemlocktail picked up a wad of moss and gently mopped up the blood from one of Lynxheart’s oozing scratches as he continued. 

“Wolfstar’s spirit visited me,” Hemlocktail murmured. “He told me it is time for ForestClan to have a leader again.” 

Lynxheart’s heart hammered in his chest. 

“But how!?” he exclaimed. “We have no deputy either…who can we choose to succeed Wolfstar?” Lynxheart lowered his head. “And besides…ForestClan might as well be dead.” 

“According to StarClan, it isn’t,” said Hemlocktail. The hope in the medicine cat’s voice made Lynxstar look back up at him. 

“Is Wolfstar going to lead us from StarClan, then?” Lynxheart was confused. 

Hemlocktail shook his head. “No, Lynxheart. StarClan has chosen someone to be ForestClan’s next leader.” 

“Well then, who is it?” Lynxheart swished his tail with impatience. 

Hemlocktail looked him straight in the eyes. “It’s you.” 

Lynxheart felt as though he had just plummeted into a cold, rushing river. He couldn’t breathe. His fur bristled in shock as he fought to speak. 

“What!?” his voice was a squeaky gasp. “But I…I can’t…I’m too young…” 

“You’ve had plenty of experience, and you’ve mentored an apprentice,” said Hemlocktail calmly. “StarClan is wise. They must have foreseen that you will rule ForestClan.” 

Lynxheart couldn’t respond. His thoughts became a chaotic, swirling storm. So many emotions were flooding through him—shock, fear, confusion…and at the heart of it all…anger. StarClan had been silent for so many moons, watching the Clans suffer and cats die horrible deaths, and doing nothing. And now, all of a sudden, they had decided to speak? 

Lynxheart narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to be leader.” 

Hemlocktail put a comforting paw on Lynxheart’s own. “I understand that this must be overwhelming. But don’t be afraid. You have led our Clan through so much already. You braved the Dead Place twice, brought back Dusklight, and kept us alive. I can see why StarClan has chosen you.”

Lynxheart drew his paw away. “What was the point of me bringing Dusklight to ForestClan, if he’s just going to die?” His voice dripped with a level of malice that even surprised him. But he kept on speaking. “If they can see everything that’s going to happen in the future, then why didn’t they warn us about the Dark Ones? Why did they choose a cat that was going to become deathly ill to replace Runningdeer?” Lynxheart unsheathed his claws and dug them into the dirt. “It makes no sense. StarClan is just playing games with us, if you ask me.” 

“That’s not true!” Hemlocktail’s voice grew louder and harsher. “StarClan exists to help us, not punish us.” 

Lynxheart snorted. “Are you sure about that? For cats that are supposed to be super wise, they haven’t told us anything about how to defeat the Dark Ones. We lost most of our Clan, and then Eagledawn, and then Sunwhisker, and now we’re going to lose Dusklight. We’re probably all going to die, at this rate. So what’s the point of having a new leader?” 

“Lynxheart, please!” Hemlocktail cried. “We need a leader now more than ever! If we want to have any hope for the future, you have to accept the role that you are destined for!”

“We won’t have _any_ future, if we continue to depend on StarClan!” Lynxheart spat. “If ForestClan approves of me being leader, then I will lead them. But I’m not accepting nine lives from StarClan. They can _rot._ ” 

Hemlocktail’s tail curled aggressively over his back. His gray and white fur bristled as his green eyes hardened into an infuriated glare. Lynxheart had never seen the medicine cat so angry. For a moment, he thought that Hemlocktail might rake his claws across his face, but then he sighed, his fierce look fading into one of deep sadness. 

“Your parents would be disappointed in you,” he said quietly. 

Now it was Lynxheart’s turn to be enraged. He lunged at Hemlocktail, grabbing him in his claws and slamming him hard against the medicine den wall. Suddenly, quick footsteps came up from behind Lynxheart. Someone grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him off of Hemlocktail. 

“What in StarClan’s name are you doing!?” hissed Grousetail, standing protectively in front of his fellow medicine cat. “I don’t know what you two are arguing about, but how could you be so disgraceful as to attack your medicine cat!?” 

“It’s none of your business!” Lynxheart snarled. 

“It may not be, but this is my den,” snapped Grousetail, his blue eyes blazing. “I won’t tolerate violence in here. If you can’t keep yourself calm, then get out.” 

Lynxheart spun around and headed for the entrance. His wounds were throbbing with pain, seemingly in sync to his furious heartbeat. As he stepped out of the medicine den, he turned his head towards Dusklight’s nest. Even from a fox-length away, he could hear his loved one’s ragged, tortured breathing, and smell the heavy scent of sickness in him. 

_Don’t worry, Dusklight,_ Lynxheart promised silently. _I’ll take matters into my own paws, and save you._


	12. Chapter 12

Lynxheart peered over the edge of the sheer cliff. Far down below, at the base of the stone wall surrounding the CliffClan camp, he could see three pitch black shapes pacing around. He shrank back as suddenly, one of them raised its head, glaring up at him with glowing red eyes. 

“I’m sure glad they can’t seem jump up here,” said a dark ginger CliffClan warrior named Longtalon, echoing Lynxheart’s thoughts. 

For the past two sunrises, the Dark Ones had surrounded the CliffClan camp, making them unable to leave. Groups of warriors had taken turns watching them from the lookout point. 

“We have to do something,” murmured another CliffClan warrior, a gray tom named Stormheart. “We’ll starve to death if we stay in the camp.” 

“Perhaps a few of us could distract them while others slip out to hunt?” Longtalon suggested. 

A russet and cream colored she-cat named Amberfall snorted. “Yeah, that’s a brilliant plan. Both of those groups would die instantly.” 

As the CliffClan cats argued, Lynxheart turned back to peer down at the Dark Ones. Watching them sent shivers down his spine, but also slightly intrigued him. They appeared as if they were halfway between a wolf and a cat—with huge bodies, long legs, thick bristly coats, and huge pointy ears, but also long, flexible tails and catlike eyes, save for the unnatural red glow and lack of pupils. 

“They’re so creepy,” said Amberfall with a shudder. “How do they know we’re up here?” 

“They never seem to eat or sleep, either,” Stormheart noted. “Just what are they?” 

Just then, something emerged from the pine forest near the camp. It was a Dark One, but something about it was different. Its blackness seemed even deeper than the others, as if it was literally made from the night sky. It walked with fluid-like movements towards the others, its red eyes gazing intensely ahead. Even from high up above, Lynxheart’s own eyes hurt looking at its luminous glow. As it neared its comrades, Lynxheart was startled to realize that it was bigger than them—it looked to be the almost the size of a bear. The smaller Dark Ones turned to it; muffled but powerful rumbles came from down below, as if they were conversing. Lynxheart shuddered at their voices, which sounded like distant thunder. The large Dark One raised its head, staring directly up at the cats with its burning eyes. 

And then, Lynxheart’s heart jolted to a stop with realization. 

_Is this their leader? Is this the one I’m supposed to kill?_

“Great StarClan!” whispered Pikewhisker, a LakeClan warrior who was also there. “That one is huge!”

“It—it looks like it could be their leader,” Lynxheart stuttered. Clearing his throat, he added, “Perhaps if we could find a way to kill it, it would weaken the others?” 

“Well how are we going to do _that?_ ” Amberfall spat. “We can’t even kill a regular-sized one.” 

Just then, something caught Lynxheart’s eye. A few tail-lengths away, a small boulder sat on the edge of the lookout peak. It was balanced neatly on the cliff, but if a strong enough force were applied to it, perhaps it would fall…

“I have an idea,” said Lynxheart, pointing to the boulder. “If we could somehow shove that off the edge, and cause it to land on the leader’s head, perhaps that would kill it.” 

“How are we going to move a boulder?” Amberfall growled. 

“Well, if we get enough cats together to push it, perhaps we can,” said Stormheart. “It’s already partially hanging off the cliff, so maybe, if there are a lot of cats pushing on it, it’ll fall.” 

Amberfall flicked her tail uneasily. “Well, I hope you’re right.” 

“We should go down and tell Drizzlestar of this plan,” said Longtalon.

“It probably won’t be wise to hold a Clan meeting, though,” Lynxheart told him. “The Dark Ones understand our language. If Drizzlestar is loudly addressing everyone, they’ll hear what we’re planning.” 

“Oh, good point,” said Longtalon with a frown. “Well, I suppose we can find a way to get the message out to everyone.” 

“This better work, ForestClanner,” said Amberfall. 

 

The word spread quickly throughout the camp, the details of the plan being shared in hushed murmurs. Several cats volunteered to push the boulder; meanwhile, Robinsong came up with another part to the plan. 

“The Dark Ones will need to be distracted, so they won’t see the boulder falling down,” the CliffClan deputy said. “There’s a ledge about halfway down the Cliff; if a small group of cats sat there and taunted them, perhaps they won’t realize what those on the lookout are doing.” 

“Excellent idea,” Drizzlestar nodded in agreement. 

“Can the Dark Ones jump up there?” Shellstar asked concernedly. “One was able to jump up into a tall tree that some of my warriors were hiding in, and grabbed one of them.” 

“There’s a little cove by that ledge,” said Drizzlestar. “I’d say it’s a small enough space for three or four cats. If the Dark Ones get too close, they can retreat in there.” 

“I’ll go,” Lynxheart volunteered. 

“No, Lynxheart, you can’t.” 

Startled, he turned around to see Tulipwhisker walking towards him. He supposed that the sudden buzz of activity in the camp had caused her to step out of the nursery for a moment. The tortoiseshell she-cat narrowed her eyes at her brother. 

“You’re the leader of ForestClan now remember?” she whispered to him. “But you only have one life; you shouldn’t risk it.” 

Lynxheart opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it. He looked down at the ground, feeling conflicted. He was the only cat in the Clans who was remotely capable of battling with a Dark One, if necessary. But at the same time, Tulipwhisker was right. ForestClan couldn’t lose Lynxheart. They’d already lost so much. He hadn’t officially come out as the leader, but he’d discussed it privately with Tulipwhisker, who seemed to agree that he was fit for the role. 

_Maybe this plan will work, and I won’t have to fight the Dark One's leader after all,_ he silently hoped. 

Lynxheart nodded to his sister. “You’re right. I’ll go help push the boulder.”

“I’ll help too,” said Tulipwhisker. “My kits can stay with the other queens for a bit.” 

Lynxheart purred and briefly rubbed his head against her shoulder. His sister looked exhausted from having to care for her newborn kits, yet she was still determined to help her Clan. She-cats were often looked upon as weak while they were in the nursery--but in that moment, Tulipwhisker was more fearless than ever, now that she had kits to protect. 

Lynxheart, along with a dozen or so other cats, headed up to the lookout point. He was surprised at how many cats had volunteered—even scrawny old Weedtail and another elder named Berrydawn were going. Meanwhile, Robinsong led Stormheart, Longtalon, Bearpelt, and another CliffClan warrior named Ridgesky down a steep part of the cliff that led to the narrow ledge several fox-lengths beneath the lookout. Lynxheart found himself at the front of the crowd, standing right in front of the boulder, between Drizzlestar and Patchmoon. 

“At my signal, push on it!” Drizzlestar yowled. “To any cat who can’t reach it, push on the cats in front of you!”

“Be careful!” Skywind, the CliffClan messenger cat, was also there, at the front of the crowd. “Those of us at the edge need to watch out, or we could fall off!" 

“Are we all ready?” Drizzlestar asked. 

Several affirmative yowls rang through the crowd. 

“PUSH!” Drizzlestar commanded. 

Lynxheart shoved his body as hard against the boulder as he could. Furious grunts came from the cats around him as they joined in. Tulipwhisker and Grayspots were pushing on Lynxheart from behind—although Tulipwhisker had one foreleg wrapped around Lynxheart’s hind leg, in case her brother were to go toppling over the edge of the cliff. 

Far down below, there came a chorus of chilling snarls and howls. The Dark Ones must have spotted the cats that were on the ledge. Out of the corner of his eye, Lynxheart could see them clustered around the base of the cliff, all staring upwards with their horribly bright red eyes. One of them suddenly leaped upwards; Lynxheart’s breath caught in his throat as the Dark One sailed up near to where the ledge should be…but then it went plummeting back down to the ground, landing on its paws with an enraged snarl. 

“Keep pushing!” Drizzlestar cried. 

Lynxheart had been distracted by the Dark Ones; he returned his attention to the boulder. It was only about the size of a badger, yet it incredibly heavy. For several long, agonizing moments, it did not move, despite a huge mass of cats pushing on it. Lynxheart was just starting to lose hope, when suddenly, the boulder moved very slightly.

“It’s working!” he yowled. “Keep pushing!” 

He glanced down again at the Dark Ones. He could just hear loud taunts from the cats that were stationed below. The biggest Dark One was standing on its hind legs and scraping at the cliff side with its long front claws, bellowing something in its deep, garbled voice. Lynxheart made out the words, _**“KILL YOU ALL!”**_

The boulder moved about a whisker-length forward. Lynxheart dug his claws into the ground, shoving with all his might. The largest Dark One was right below—if Robinsong’s group could keep it distracted, the boulder would fall right on its head. 

_Come on…_ Lynxheart gritted his teeth. He thought of all the cats they’d lost to the Dark Ones—not just most of ForestClan, but also Sunnymist, Firecreek, Loontail, and Dusklight and Silversnake’s brother, Aleks, who was slaughtered at the Dead Place by the Dark Ones before he ever got to join ForestClan. Their reign of the land, and their terrible curse would be over soon. Dusklight would get better, and ForestClan and LakeClan could go home. 

Lynxheart practically slammed himself into the boulder at the thought. And then, finally, it happened. There came a long, slow scraping sound, and then, the boulder tumbled over the edge of the cliff. As it did, however, there came a wail of terror. Heart lurching, Lynxheart looked for the source of the sound, and froze with horror as he saw Walnutfur had slipped off the edge, and was plummeting downwards with the boulder. 

_“Walnutfur! NO!”_ Patchmoon screamed for his son. 

Time seemed to slow down as both the young warrior and the boulder fell towards the Dark Ones. They seemed to have heard Patchmoon’s cry, as their attention was drawn back towards the top of the cliff. The largest one leaped out of the way as the boulder came hurdling towards it—however it landed directly on the skull of one of the smaller ones. The beast let out an agonizing, bone-chilling scream before falling over on its side. As for Walnutfur….he landed directly in the jaws of the large Dark One. 

“NO!” Patchmoon wailed again as the monster’s fangs snapped shut on Walnutfur, and the young warrior turned into an explosion of blood and bits of brown fur. 

Patchmoon became a black and white blur as he fled from the top of the cliff, and began scrambling down the side towards the ground. 

“Patchmoon, no!” Lynxheart, along with Tulipwhisker and Grayspots, hurried after their Clan mate. Patchmoon was jumping from rock to rock, deaf to the cries behind him as he rushed to avenge his son. Lynxheart slipped precariously on the sheer surface, at one point nearly slipping form a narrow ledge, yet he still kept going. At some point, Tulipwhisker stopped--most likely thinking about her kits. She yowled for Lynxheart and Grayspots to come back. Grayspots stopped as well, as if remembering his kits as well, but Lynxheart had much less to lose. He continued to navigate his way down the cliff wall. When he was about halfway to the ground, he saw something that froze his blood. The large Dark One was leaping through the air, letting out an unearthly snarl that seemed to shake the air. It stretched its huge, gleaming jaws out towards the ledge, grabbing the warrior Ridgesky by the neck and pulling him off. 

“NO!” Stormheart launched himself off of the ledge and clung to the Dark One, biting into its pitch black fur. Lynxheart could only watch helplessly as the Dark One glided back down to the ground, a limp Ridgesky dangling from its jaws. Stormheart was thrown off as the beast landed. The gray tom bounced against the ground, and straight into the jaws of one of the smaller Dark Ones. 

Lynxheart’s horrified attention was then drawn away by an ear-splitting, furious yowl. Patchmoon had almost reached the base of the cliff; Robinsong, Longtalon, and Bearpelt were scrambling down from the ledge in an attempt to stop him. Suddenly, Longtalon lost his footing and went tumbling down to the ground. The dark ginger tom landed in a heap as a Dark One went barreling towards him…

Suddenly, a flash of black and white went flying through the air. Patchmoon landed on the head of the Dark One, and began to claw wildly at its burning red eyes. The monster howled furiously and shook Patchmoon off. The tom deftly flipped through the air, ricocheted off the cliff wall, and went flying back to the Dark One, clamping his fangs down over its eye. Dark colored blood sprayed up from its face as it let out a deafening roar of agony. 

And then, suddenly, one of the smaller Dark Ones bounded over and grabbed Patchmoon, yanking him off of the larger ones face. The warrior's yellow eyes bulged out of his head as his captor sank its teeth into his back…

“NO!” Lynxheart wasn’t even aware that he’d been hopping down the cliff and reached the ground. His legs were moving before his brain even registered his actions. He took a running leap at the Dark One that had Patchmoon, and slashed the monster across the nose. It dropped Patchmoon to the ground, leaping back with what sounded like a yelp and a hiss mingled together. Lynxheart darted between its legs and raked his claws along its belly. To his dismay, the fur was quite thick; he wasn’t able to pierce the skin. 

Suddenly, he felt a terrible piercing sensation in his tail. Lynxheart was yanked out from under his opponent and pulled across the ground. The largest Dark One was standing over him, blood dripping from its ruined eye as it bared its luminescent fangs…

Lynxheart shut his eyes. _Dusklight, I’m so sorry. I’ve failed you._

_CRACK!_

Lynxheart opened his eyes as he heard a shrill scream. Another one of the smaller Dark Ones had collapsed to the ground—a rather large slab of rock had landed on its head. Yowls of victory rang out from up above. The Dark One lay in the grass, its tongue lolling out and glowing red eyes dimming…and then suddenly, its body began to crumble. As if it were made of ash, its fur and muscle rapidly dissolved into a pile of fine black material. Lifting his head, Lynxheart noticed more of the ash-like substance beneath the boulder as well. 

The large Dark One then took off. It bounded towards the forest it had come from, with the last remaining small Dark One at its heels. Lynxheart nearly lost consciousness from relief—the Dark Ones had fled! They’d won! 

…or had they? A low, pained moan came to Lynxheart’s ears. He pushed himself to his paws, looking around for the source of the sound. Robinsong and Bearpelt were there, supporting a dazed Longtalon. Red and black stains splattered the ground around them. And then, Lynxheart’s heart dropped like a stone when he saw the mound of black and white fur lying nearby.

“Patchmoon!” Lynxheart hurried over to his Clan mate. The tom was still breathing—his side was falling and rising, but weakly. His entire back was stained crimson. Just beneath the blood, the holes where the Dark Ones’ fangs had stabbed him were visible. They looked very, very deep. 

“Don’t worry, Patchmoon,” Lynxheart soothed him. “We’ll get you to the medicine den. Just hang in there!” 

“FATHER!” A gut-wrenching wail rang out. Lynxheart turned his head to see Sprucetail and Fircloud running towards Patchmoon. Not far behind them were Grayspots and Tulipwhisker. 

“Father, no!” Sprucetail’s voice was weak and kit-like as he stopped beside Patchmoon. He began to lick furiously at his father’s wounds. “Please don’t die, Father! It’s going to be alright!” 

“Stop,” Patchmoon whispered hoarsely. “It’s no use.” 

“Don’t say that!” Fircloud snapped. “You’re going to be fine, once the medicine cats get here.” 

Patchmoon weakly turned his head, so that he was gazing up at his kits. His yellow eyes were filled with warmth and love. 

“I am so proud of you both,” he wheezed. “You’ve grown into such brave warriors.” 

He then shifted his gaze to Lynxheart. 

“Lynxheart…” Patchmoon coughed, spewing out a mouthful of blood. “Lynxheart…it was an honor to fight alongside you. You should be…ForestClan’s next leader.” 

Patchmoon’s eyes then closed. 

“NO! FATHER!” Sprucetail yowled. He and Fircloud buried their noses into Patchmoon’s black and white flank, trembling with grief. Lynxheart just stood there, numb. He slowly sank to his haunches, and stared blankly up at the sky. 

_It’s my fault,_ he thought. _I couldn’t kill the big Dark One. And now more cats are dead. I’ve failed everyone._


	13. Chapter 13

Lynxheart lapped at Dusklight’s damp, hot pelt. The messenger cat was even weaker than ever. For the past few days, he hadn’t eaten anything, or even had the strength to go outside to make dirt. His breath crackled in his chest as his flank weakly heaved in and out. 

“Don’t give up,” Lynxheart whispered to Dusklight. “Please don’t give up.” 

Upon hearing Lynxheart’s voice, Dusklight slowly opened one eye. 

“I’m not…going to give up,” he wheezed. He gave Lynxheart’s foreleg a small lick. 

“Glad to hear it.” Lynxheart in turn gave Dusklight a lick between the ears. 

Just then, Hemlocktail came over. Lynxheart turned his head away as the medicine cat routinely examined Dusklight. Hemlocktail and Lynxheart had not spoken since their fight, and when he wasn’t in the medicine den, Lynxheart did all he could to avoid Hemlocktail. 

Figuring that Dusklight would be okay without him for a bit, Lynxheart gingerly got up from the nest, gave Dusklight another gentle lick, and then left the den. He blinked his eyes, adjusting to the bright sunlight. A moon had passed since the battle with the Dark Ones. Patchmoon and Walnutfur had been buried in the CliffClan gravesite, along with Ridgesky and Stormheart. All four warriors had been honored in a vigil. There hadn’t been any sightings of the Dark Ones since; there had been some slight hope that they were gone for good, but the occasional huge paw print or eviscerated animal carcass discovered by patrols proved otherwise. Lynxheart’s dreams had been quiet as well. He’d tried to dream of Wormclaw whenever he fell asleep, but for whatever reason, the dead cat wasn’t talking to him. Was he angry at him for failing to kill the large Dark One? 

Lynxheart padded across the camp towards the nursery, needing a distraction from his nerve-wracking thoughts. It was a beautiful sunny day; all the queens were outside the nursery, sharing tongues and watching their kits play. Flamekit was tussling with Ivyshine’s kits, Rockykit and Quailkit, while Cloudkit and Mistkit were chasing a butterfly with the LakeClan kits, Minkkit and Shaggykit. 

The ForestClan kits have never seen their real home, Lynxheart realized with a pang. Will we ever see it again? Or the three Clans destined to become one forever? 

Suddenly, he felt tiny paws grab his tail. Looking behind him, he saw that Frogkit had gotten ahold of it. 

“I’m a scary Dark One!” the tiny brown and white tom growled playfully. 

“Oh, _no,_ ” Lynxheart purred. “Whatever will I do?” 

“Don’t worry Lynxheart, I’ll save you!” Flamekit came running over and knocked Frogkit to the ground. As they tumbled around and squealed, Lynxheart felt a bittersweet pang of nostalgia. He remembered how he and Tulipwhisker used to play like that as kits. Oh, he would give anything to have things be that simple again! 

Just then, he heard Flamekit say “Who’s that?” 

Turning his head, Lynxheart was startled to see Dusklight emerging from the medicine den. He was heavily leaning on Hemlocktail for support, but it had been the first time in several sunrises that Lynxheart had seen him walk! 

Purring loudly, he told Flamekit, “That’s Dusklight! He’s our messenger cat.”

Flamekit tilted her head curiously. “What’s a messenger cat?” 

“They deliver messages between the three Clans,” Lynxheart explained.

“What do you mean?” Frogkit squeaked confusedly. “I thought there was just CliffClan.” 

Lynxheart’s happy mood began to fade. “No,” he told his nephew. “We’re ForestClan. We’re just living with CliffClan until the Dark Ones go away. LakeClan is too.” 

“But where will we go?” said Frogkit.

“We’ll go back to our own camp,” said Lynxheart. “We left it before you were born, because of the Dark Ones. But we’ll go home one day, I promise.” 

“I don’t want to leave,” said Frogkit. “I like it here.” 

“I like it here too,” said Flamekit. “Rockykit is my best friend. I can’t leave him.” 

Lynxheart’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t know what tell them. Fortunately, his attention was drawn away by Bramblesnow, who was coming up to him with her apprentice, Dawnpaw, bounding at her heels. 

“Hey Lynxheart, do you want to go hunting with me and Shadetuft, and our apprentices?” she asked. 

Lynxheart hesitated for a moment. Dusklight and Hemlocktail had disappeared behind the medicine den, probably so the former could make dirt. Dusklight seemed to be doing alright today, at least compared to the past few days. He’d be okay if Lynxheart left the camp for a while. 

“Sure,” Lynxheart agreed. 

Outside the camp, the warm newleaf air hummed with insects, and a breeze whistled faintly through the mountains. New, fresh scents came to the warriors’ noses as Russetpaw and Dawnpaw bounced alongside them. Dawnpaw sprang into the air, catching a flying beetle between her forepaws. 

“That’s not exactly prey,” Bramblesnow said with an amused purr.

“Well, it never hurts to practice your hunting skills whenever you get a chance,” said Dawnpaw.

“That’s true,” he mentor agreed. 

Suddenly, a mole appeared out of a hole in the ground. Russetpaw went leaping after it, only for it to disappear again. 

“You’re supposed to sneak up on it, you mouse-brain,” said Dawnpaw, rolling her eyes at her brother. 

“I know, but it was right in front of me,” said Russetpaw. “I almost had it.” 

“Hey, once we’re in a more open area, I can show you a stalking technique,” Lynxheart offered the young tom. He glanced at Russetpaw's mentor, Shadetuft. “If your mentor doesn’t mind, that is.” 

“I don’t mind,” said the fluffy black and white tom. “It’s useful for apprentices learn things from various warriors, not just their mentor.” 

When they came to an area where the ground was flatter, Lynxheart motioned for Russetpaw to follow him up a bent, gnarled old tree. 

“I’ve never climbed a tree before,” said the mottled reddish-brown tom. 

“Oh.” Lynxheart realized that CliffClan’s territory didn’t have nearly as many trees in it as ForestClan’s. 

“It’s not hard. Just follow my lead.” 

Lynxheart dug his claws into the bark and made his way up the tree. Fortunately, it didn’t reach very high up, so it was easy for Russetpaw to navigate. The apprentice balanced himself precariously on a thick branch. 

“Wow, you’re right, that wasn’t so hard!” he exclaimed. 

“Shhh.” Lynxheart placed the tip of his tail over the apprentice’s mouth to hush him. He pointed towards the ground, where a starling had landed. Its back was turned to the tree as it pecked at the dirt. 

“In ForestClan’s territory, we jump down from trees to surprise prey on the ground,” Lynxheart whispered to Russetpaw. “Though I’m sure there are a lot of ridges and tall stones you can jump down from in your territory.” 

Lynxheart steadied himself on the branch, and then sprang into the air, landing skillfully with his front paws on the starling. He then quickly ended the bird’s life with a sharp bite to the neck. 

“Wow!” Russetpaw cried from up in the tree. 

Shadetuft tasted the breeze. “I think I smell a rabbit nearby,” he said. “I’ll try to chase it over here, and then Russetpaw can try jumping down and killing it.” 

Shadetuft darted away into the distance as Bramblesnow and Dawnpaw hid in a gorse bush, ready to spring out if help was needed catching the rabbit. Lynxheart climbed back into the tree, helping Russetpaw get into the right position for pouncing. After several long moments, a rabbit came bounding into the area. It headed for the gorse bush, which Bramblesnow and Dawnpaw then jumped out of. The rabbit quickly changed directions, now heading for the tree. 

“Now!” Lynxheart told Russetpaw. 

The apprentice sprang from the tree, landing just a whisker length from the rabbit. The startled prey turned and ran yet again, but its path was blocked by Dawnpaw. She held down the rabbit as Russetpaw delivered the killing blow to its neck. 

“Nice work, you two!” Lynxheart praised the young cats. 

“Though I didn’t exactly catch it,” said Russetpaw, seeming disappointed in himself. 

“You just have to practice, is all,” said Lynxheart. “You came very close to catching it. You might be successful next time.” 

“I hope I will,” said Russetpaw. “Thanks for showing me that technique, Lynxheart.” 

Lynxheart was about to say something else, when all of a sudden, a cat came running into the clearing. His fur bristled with alarm as Grayspots skidded to a halt in front of him, his green eyes wide with horror. 

“Grayspots, what’s wrong!?” cried Lynxheart. 

“It’s Dusklight.” Grayspots’s voice was hollow. “Lynxheart, he—he’s gotten really bad. I was sent to come find you…” 

Grayspots had barely finished the sentence when Lynxheart took off running for the camp. He moved so fast, that it seemed like only a few moments before he was there, pushing cats aside as he hurried for the medicine den. 

“Dusklight!” Lynxheart’s voice came out squeaky and kit-like. He looked around, spotting Dusklight lying in a nest, with all three medicine cats surrounding him. The dark ginger tabby’s flank was heaving in and out spasmodically, his breathing coming out as horrible strangled noises. 

“What’s going on!?” Lynxheart yowled. 

Hemlocktail looked up at Lynxheart with the saddest gaze he’d ever seen on a cat. 

“He’s dying, Lynxheart,” the medicine cat whispered. 

“No!” Lynxheart snarled. “He can’t be! He was getting better! He got up just a while ago!” 

“Lynxheart…” Hemlocktail hung his head, his breath catching in his throat. Speaking seemed to be physically painful for him right now.

“Not long after you left, he went into convulsions,” said Grousetail calmly. “His heartbeat is erratic, as well. I’m sorry, Lynxheart. But there’s nothing we can do.” 

“NO!” Lynxheart screamed. “There must be something you can do! I…I promised Dusklight I wouldn’t let him die!” 

“Lynx…heart…” Dusklight’s voice came out as a barely audible croak, in between deep, gasping breaths. 

“I’m here, Dusklight.” Lynxheart came to his side. The messenger’ cat’s eyes were squeezed tight with agony. His mouth stretched wide open as he desperately sucked in air. 

“I’m here, Dusklight.” Lynxheart pressed his muzzle into the ill tom’s fur, feeling the wild pounding of Dusklight’s heart through his pelt. “I’m here, my love. Please don’t go.” 

Dusklight opened his eyes. He lifted his head slightly, looking straight at Lynxheart. For a moment, the pain in his gaze seemed to disappear. His amber eyes returned to their usual brightness as he stared at Lynxheart with a look of utmost warmth and love. And then, seemingly in slow motion, his head drooped back to the ground, and the light in his eyes faded away. His front paws jerked, and then he lay still. 

“Dusklight?” Lynxheart’s voice was tiny, barely audible. “Dusklight? No. No…please, no.” He shook the limp tom. 

“Open your eyes, Dusklight.” Lynxheart’s voice was very loud now. “You promised you wouldn't give up! Open your eyes! PLEASE!” 

He turned to the medicine cats. “Do something!” he howled. 

But they only stared at him blankly. Lynxheart pressed his ear to Dusklight’s flank, expecting to hear that familiar, lulling heartbeat he always listened to when curled up next to him. But there was only silence. 

“Dusklight?” Lynxheart’s voice cracked. He licked Dusklight’s face, but there was no response. His best friend, his partner, his _everything,_ was gone. 

Lynxheart rose up on his hind legs, and screamed. The entire camp could hear his agonized howl, which, for several long moments, drowned out any other noise that was present. Lynxheart yowled until his throat could take it no more. He collapsed, burying his face into Dusklight’s stiffening pelt. He felt as though his heart too, would stop. He hoped it would. 

 

Dusklight’s body lay in the center of the CliffClan camp, his fire-colored coat gleaming in the light of the sunset. Skywind and Peachglow were sprinkling rosemary across their fellow messenger cat’s pelt to hide the scent of death. But that’s all that Lynxheart was able to smell right now. It flooded his nostrils, reminding him with every passing second that Dusklight was gone forever. 

Lynxheart sat there, staring at the body, so numb that he was barely aware of Tulipwhisker and Grayspots sitting on either side of him, pressing their pelts into his. He didn’t hear the speech that Drizzlestar was giving out of respect. Lynxheart found himself lost in his memories, remembering when he had first met Dusklight back at the Dead Place. Everything there was so still and quiet, except for him. He was full of life, bouncing along and running faster than any cat that Lynxheart had ever met. Then, they were all in the ForestClan camp again, with Dusklight and Silversnake receiving their warrior names. Lynxheart could almost smell the familiar scents of all the cats that cheered for them. And Dusklight looked happier than Lynxheart had ever seen him before. 

_Why?_ Lynxheart had asked that question so many times in the past several moons, but he couldn’t help but ask it again. Why did our perfect world have to crumble into ashes? 

Everyone slept outside that night to honor Dusklight. Lynxheart lay next to him, ignoring any cat that came over to try and comfort him. Time crawled to a standstill; to Lynxheart, it seemed as though he lay there for an eternity, his mind blank and insides feeling broken. But then, when the first rays of dawn appeared, Lynxheart felt someone nudge him with a paw. Looking up, he saw Grayspots. 

“It’s time to bury him,” his friend said quietly. “I’ll help you carry him out of the camp.” 

“No,” said Lynxheart. 

“Huh?” Grayspots blinked in confusion. 

“No…not here,” said Lynxheart. “This isn’t Dusklight’s home. He should be buried in the ForestClan gravesite.” 

“But Lynxheart…you know we can’t go there,” Grayspots sighed. 

“ _I’m_ going there.” Lynxheart got to his paws. “I don’t care if the forest is crawling with Dark Ones. I’m getting Dusklight home.” 

“I—I’ll come with you, then,” said Grayspots. 

“Don’t.” Lynxheart shook his head. “I’m not risking anyone else getting killed.”

“Lynxheart, _no._ ” Tulipwhisker hurried over to her brother. “You can’t do this. You’re our leader—we need you!” 

“I’m no leader,” said Lynxheart monotonously. “I couldn’t save the one I loved the most.” 

“ _Please,_ Lynxheart!” Tulipwhisker’s voice was raw with grief and anger. “Don’t leave us!” 

“I have to,” was Lynxheart’s curt reply. He gingerly took Dusklight by the scruff and hauled his body up onto his back. 

“No, you don’t,” Grayspots stared at Lynxheart with pleading eyes. “Dusklight wouldn’t want you to risk your life like this…”

“Dusklight is dead,” said Lynxheart coldly. “And I might as well be too.” 

“Lynxheart!” That anguished yowl came from Hemlocktail. “You’re our leader! You cannot abandon your Clan!” 

“If the Dark Ones don’t kill me, then I’ll return,” said Lynxheart. “But if they do, so be it. ForestClan no longer exists, anyways.” 

With that, Lynxheart turned his back on Clan mates and left the camp, carrying Dusklight's body.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Start chapter with this music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5MjW5y4iCg
> 
> At * change it to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eje2r90MkGE

Lynxheart’s paws were numb as he walked. It was a silent morning—there were no birds chirping, or breeze blowing. Up above, the sky was a somber shade of purplish-gray. It was as though nature itself was mourning for Dusklight. 

Somehow, Lynxheart managed to make it all the way down the cliff while keeping Dusklight’s body balanced on his back. He walked across the empty, silent Gathering Field, heading towards the forest. The pale sky gently faded into a bright blue, casting warm sunlight across the field. But Lynxheart felt very, very cold. The weight on his back was a constant reminder that Dusklight was dead. He kept expecting the messenger cat to stir, or say something…but he remained silent and still. 

Lynxheart reached the forest by sunhigh. He encountered no Dark Ones, most likely because the sun was so bright right now. But he didn’t care about watching out for them anymore. As he stepped into the cool shade of the forest, he felt no fear. He wouldn’t mind if a Dark One came out right now and tore him to pieces. He almost hoped that one would. 

Lynxheart passed all the familiar sights of the forest that he’d grown up with—the big plum tree, the ancient oaks, and the long bridge. But nothing felt the same anymore. An empty silence drowned the place, depriving Lynxheart of any nostalgia. 

When he got to the camp, he stopped, and stared for a long time at the place where he’d been born and raised. Unlike the last time he visited it, which was last leafbare, the leaves had returned, restoring its green lushness. Little mushrooms popped up from the ground, and insects hummed and danced in the air, just like they always had. The Leader’s Oak, all the dens, and the tunnel that led to the gravesite were all still there, untouched. Yet it all seemed so lifeless without any cats. The bloodstains left from the massacre had long been washed away by snow and rain, along with the scents of those who once lived here. The only sign that there had ever been cats here was only the occasional paw print in the dirt, here and there. 

Lynxheart felt very old and weary as he carried Dusklight’s body down the tunnel. Was this how elders felt when they buried a longtime friend? Lynxheart was only a few season cycles old, yet it seemed as though his life was had come to an end. 

At the end of the tunnel lay the beautiful gravesite. Back in leafbare, when most of the Clan had been slaughtered and buried here, the ground had been barren and cold. But now, a thick coat of grass and ferns covered everything. Colorful flowers dotted the clearing. A plump, fuzzy bumblebee was humming around a cluster of them. There was a beam of light shining in the center of the clearing, with dust particles slowly dancing in it. 

“You’re home, Dusklight,” Lynxheart whispered. 

Somehow, he remembered the exact area where he’d buried his parents. He would bury Dusklight next to them--for he had also been part of his family. He gently lay Dusklight down, and began to dig. They’d only had time to dig shallow graves for the victims of the attack, but Lynxheart put in a full effort, tearing at the earth with his paws until he’d created a deep, wide hole. He was panting when he finished, with blood trickling from his sore paw pads. And then, he gently took Dusklight, and lowered him into the grave.

Lynxheart lay beside the grave for a long time, smoothing Dusklight’s gorgeous orange pelt with his tongue. The messenger cat looked so peaceful lying there, as if he were taking a nap. His cold fur soaked up the sun, turning warm again. 

“Dusklight,” Lynxheart murmured, pressing his muzzle against the deceased cat’s flank. “You deserve to rest in peace, more than any cat I’ve ever known. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for…being the best cat I ever knew.” Lynxheart swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. You deserved better than me. But wherever you are now, I hope you’re at peace. Sleep well, my love.” 

Lynxheart tenderly licked Dusklight’s ears, the way a mother would with her kit. And then, slowly, he covered Dusklight in the loose dirt. Doing so shattered his heart. He did not want Dusklight to disappear forever. He wanted to gaze upon that stunning, dusk-colored coat as long as he could. As the last bit of earth went into the grave, completely covering Dusklight, Lynxheart collapsed. He buried his face into the dirt, letting out another heart-wrenching wail. 

Lynxheart didn’t know how much time passed. But eventually, a tiny raindrop fell on his ear. Lifting his head, he looked to the sky and noticed that it had turned cloudy. Another raindrop hit him in the face, and then, the clouds opened up, sending down sheets of rain. Lynxheart scurried back through the tunnel, and into the nursery. There was something vaguely comforting about being in the place that he’d been born in. He curled up, and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. 

Lynxheart slept for quite a while. When he awoke, the red light of sunset was flowing through the nursery entrance. He got to his paws, and crept out into the camp. Trudging through the puddles that the rain had left, he went back to visit Dusklight’s grave once more. The burial area was splotched with orange and yellow puddles that reflected the evening sky. The grass and the plants all gave off a rosy glow. 

_How appropriate,_ Lynxheart thought with a bittersweet pang. _The clearing is filled with the light of dusk._

He touched his muzzle to the mound of dirt which his loved one lay under. And then, he turned away, walking through the tunnel and out of the camp. His tail dragged in the muddy earth as he slowly trudged along, his paws feeling like heavy stones. The shadows of the forest grew longer and darker as the sun sank in the sky. Lynxheart knew he should be hurrying back to CliffClan, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk any faster. What was the point of returning? Everyone was probably going to die. There was no way to defeat the Dark Ones, at least for good. They had already won. 

“Hey, come get me!” Lynxheart yowled. He sat down, screaming to the treetops. “If there’s any Dark Ones out here, feel free to come kill me! Quit hiding and show yourselves, you cowards!” 

He was met with only silence. A long time passed, and nothing happened. 

_Figures,_ Lynxheart thought miserably. _They won’t kill me when I_ want _to die.They’d much rather get me when I’m scared._

Suddenly, there was the sound of rustling ferns coming from behind him. Lynxheart jumped, whirling around and expecting to see a black face and glowing red eyes…but instead, a cat emerged from the undergrowth. It was an all too familiar slender cat, with a silver tabby pelt. 

The emptiness inside of Lynxheart suddenly disappeared, erupting into a fiery ball of rage. 

“Silversnake!” he snarled. “What are you doing here?” 

Silversnake stared coolly at him. “I could ask you the same thing.” 

Lynxheart unsheathed his claws. “How dare you roam around like this is your territory!” 

“Well, it isn’t anyone’s territory anymore,” Silversnake scoffed. “In case you didn’t notice, no one lives here now.” 

“Because of you!” Lynxheart spat. “You killed everyone!” 

Silversnake purred with amusement. “So, you’ve changed your mind about me? What happened to, ‘It’s not Silversnake’s fault, the Dark Ones made him do all that bad stuff!’” 

Lynxheart couldn’t find a response. He sputtered, his pelt growing hot with hatred and fury. 

“Dusklight is dead!” he finally managed to yowl. “Your brother is _dead._ He died yesterday, from a disease that the Dead Place caused. But I bet you don’t even care.” 

“He’s better off dead,” was Silversnake’s monotonous reply. 

*

Lynxheart threw himself at the silver tom, screeching wildly. Silversnake disappeared into the trees in a flash. Lynxheart ran after him, roaring like a lion. He crashed through the forest in a blind rage, twisting and turning through the trees in search for Silversnake. At some point, he caught a glimpse of his silver tail disappearing around a bend. Lynxheart charged after him, racing out into the clearing where the long bridge was. 

Suddenly, he slipped on the muddy, wet earth, and went sprawling and sliding through the grass, mud coating his belly. Growling, he pushed himself up, shaking mud from his legs and looking around for Silversnake. 

And then, the air began to pulsate. Lynxheart whirled around, and caught a glimpse of two burning red eyes in the darkness of the forest. He took off, his murderous rage onrw replaced with raw, primitive fear. 

_I didn’t mean what I said! I don’t want to die!_ he screamed in his head. Both the ground and the air seemed to shake as the monster pounded after him, snarling. Desperate, Lynxheart made a dash for the long bridge, and leaped down into the narrow space between it and the rocky wall of the trench below. He went sailing down through the dark, cool air; he gritted his teeth, and steadied his legs, managing to land successfully on all fours on the sandy bottom. Lynxheart kept running, following the rushing stream beside him. Reaching the end of the trench, he saw that the sun had nearly completely disappeared, but enough light was still there for him to see the surroundings. 

A thunderous roar echoed from back in the trench. Lynxheart ran even faster. The Dark One had followed him down—it was still chasing him! Although Lynxheart saw no point in continuing to live, every instinct was screaming at him to keep running. The air pulsated once more, growing more and more rapid by the second, almost in sync with Lynxheart’s pounding heart…

Lynxheart leaped and plunged into the stream. He gasped as his body broke through the surface, and the ice cold water soaked into his fur. He let the swift current carry him away, meanwhile thrashing his legs to keep his head above the surface. And then, to his horror, he heard a loud splash from downstream. Turning around, he saw the red eyes rapidly gliding towards him in the near-darkness. The Dark One was swimming effortlessly! 

Thinking quickly once more, Lynxheart held his breath, and plunged himself under the water. Suppressing the urge to panic, he swam down as far as he could. Looking upwards, he saw a dark shape pass over him. He held his breath for several more seconds, and then swam for the surface. The current tossed him to and fro, but Lynxheart eventually managed to break his head out of the water. Gasping for air and coughing, he saw the Dark One further downstream, its paralyzing glare fixed on him as it struggled against the current towards Lynxheart. The stream had become much wider and deeper; this was where it fed into the river. It seemed the current was too strong now for even the Dark One. 

Then there was a heavy, wet thunk, followed by an agonized howl. The Dark One disappeared beneath the surface. In the dim light, Lynxheart could make out the outline of a boulder in the middle of the river…and he was headed straight for it. 

He shut his eyes tight. _I didn’t mean it, I don’t want to die! Oh StarClan, don’t let me die!_

He opened his eyes as something suddenly smacked his head. He was passing under a thin tree branch that was sticking out from the riverbank. There was another branch just up ahead. With all of his strength, he stretched upward, and managed to grab it in his teeth. The current tugged at his body mercilessly, but Lynxheart held on with all of his might. By gripping the branch with his claws, he was able to slowly pull himself along, and climb up onto the riverbank. He collapsed onto the soggy grass, his breath coming out in long, loud gasps. He’d done it. He’d escaped the Dark Ones once more. He was alive. 

Lynxheart knew it wasn’t safe to lie there, so after a few moments, he forced himself up on his shaky legs. He shivered and fluffed out his pelt; the river had chilled him down to the bone. Somehow, Lynxheart found the strength to climb up a nearby oak tree. He collapsed onto a branch, heaving and coughing up water. Black dots danced before his eyes, and then merged together, plunging him into darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

Lynxheart awoke standing paw-deep in foul smelling water. The air was pitch black and silent, save for the faint trickling of the stream. But he wasn’t afraid—he knew where he was. 

“Wormclaw!” he called, feeling around for dry ground. “Wormclaw, where are you!?” 

Lynxheart tasted the dark air and caught a trace of Wormclaw’s scent. Using the luminescent fungus on the trees as a guide, he wandered through the forest until he could see the glowing green willow in the distance. 

_Maybe Wormclaw wants me to meet him there. But it’s really odd; usually he shows himself when I first awaken here._

As he approached the willow, he picked up the murmuring of voices. Lynxheart froze. If Wormclaw was there, he wasn’t alone. Feeling cautious, Lynxheart slowly crept forward into a clump of slimy ferns. Peering through the fronds, he could see two cats sitting under the willow and talking to each other. Lynxheart made out the hunched, small figure of Wormclaw, but couldn’t recognize the other cat. For one thing, its coat was pitch black—not ordinary black, but thick, pitch black, seeming even darker than the surroundings. Just like the Dark Ones. 

Lynxheart’s blood ran cold. His heart hammered in his ears, so loudly that he was afraid that Wormclaw and the other cat might hear it. But he forced himself to keep still, and swiveled his ears forward, trying to hear their conversation. 

“I can’t do this anymore, Wormclaw.” The black cat’s voice was female. She sounded very tired and sad. “I…I just want this all to end…and for me to be free.” 

“I know,” said Wormclaw. “But I need you to hold out a little bit longer. When we finally get our revenge, you can rest.” 

“Haven’t we gotten our revenge already?” said the other cat. “I’ve killed so many cats. The Clans are basically destroyed now.” 

“You have to kill Lynxheart, too. Remember the prophecy?” said Wormclaw. “Once he’s taken care of, you can rest.” 

Lynxheart stopped breathing. His pulse went wild. 

The black cat let out a weary sigh. “I’ve tried so hard to kill him. But I can’t. He’s too determined to survive.”

“Not anymore,” said Wormclaw. “He just lost the cat he loved the most. Didn’t you hear him crying out in the forest, begging for you to come kill him?” 

“Of course I did.” The black cat’s voice changed from a murmur to a furious growl. “Silversnake led me to him. I tried to kill him, Wormclaw, I really did…but he escaped again. Why can’t you kill him instead!?” 

“Because you promised me you would!” Wormclaw yowled. “You promised to help me, no matter what, until the end of your life.” 

“I am not living,” the black she-cat snarled. “Can you really call this a life? I just want it all to end.” 

“You don’t think I would willingly fade into nothingness as well, if I had the choice!?” Wormclaw arched his back aggressively. “I’m in agony too! Every day I wish that I didn’t have to sit in this miserable place! So I keep my mind occupied by getting revenge on the cats that wronged me.” 

“You’ve gotten plenty of revenge! ForestClan is destroyed now!” the she-cat spat. 

“No. As long as Lynxheart is still around, it can be restored,” Wormclaw growled. “All I’m asking is that you kill him. I thought we were friends, Temnyy. I’m the only one you have. Why aren’t you willing to do one last thing for me?” 

“Because I have no more strength!” the other cat wailed. “Keeping up this form is exhausting! You have no idea what it’s like! I could give out at any moment!”

Wormclaw leered at her, his orange eyes glowing hatefully and jaws spread apart. For a moment, it appeared as though he would attack the black cat, but then he lowered his head and closed his eyes. 

“Get out of here,” he spat, his voice dripping with disgust. “I don’t need you. You’ve let me down just like everyone I’ve ever known.” 

And with that, the dark cat fled off into the forest, seeming to dissolve into the shadows. Wormclaw silently watched her go. He sat there for several long moments, unaware of Lynxheart creeping up behind him. Wormclaw let out a startled yowl as the other tom sprang onto his back and flattened him to the ground. 

“What is this all about, Wormclaw!?” Lynxheart snarled. “I heard everything.” 

“It’s none of your business!” Wormclaw hissed, struggling under Lynxheart’s paws. 

“Oh really? Well is it just me, or did I hear you order that cat to kill me?” Lynxheart dug his claws deep into Wormclaw’s pelt. “Who is she!? Talk!” 

The pale brown tom let out a harsh rasping noise. It took Lynxheart a moment to realize he was laughing. 

“You are so _stupid!_ ” Wormclaw exclaimed. “You believed everything I said, all that nonsense about killing Dark Ones and stuff. Has it really taken you this long to figure out the truth?” 

“What do you mean? Explain!” Lynxheart spat. 

“Get off of me, and maybe I will,” Wormclaw retorted. 

“I’m not letting you go. I don’t trust you,” hissed Lynxheart. 

“Well, at least you’re not that stupid.” Wormclaw sank his teeth into Lynxheart’s foreleg, causing the latter to yelp and loosen his grip. Before he could act, Wormclaw kicked him hard in the stomach, and then bashed his head into his chin. Lynxheart went sprawling. A few moments later, he felt Wormclaw’s claws rip through his belly fur. The dead tom’s orange eyes glowered tauntingly as Lynxheart lay there screaming and bleeding. 

“Aw, poor Lynxheart,” Wormclaw sneered. “Did you really think you could kill a Dark One? How hilarious. No one can kill a Dark One, you idiot. It’s impossible.”

Wormclaw placed his claws on Lynxheart’s throat; the latter was in too much pain to move. 

“I was trying to get you to fight the Dark Ones, so they’d kill you,” said Wormclaw. “But it looks like I’m going to have to do the job myself. But don’t worry. You’ll be with your precious Dusklight soon.”

Fire roared in Lynxheart’s chest. He swiftly rolled away, and then sprang at Wormclaw, slashing him across the face. 

“You rotten _maggot!_ ” Lynxheart howled. 

“Ha, well, I am called Wormclaw for a reason,” said the scrawny tom, still sneering as blood dripped from his face. “I’m nothing but a filthy, treacherous worm. That’s what ForestClan told me, before they cast me out.” 

Wormclaw and Lynxheart circled each other slowly, glaring into each other’s eyes. 

“You didn’t really die fighting a Dark One, did you?” snarled Lynxheart. 

“Of course not,” Wormclaw replied. “I was murdered by one of my so-called Clan mates.” 

“Why do you want to kill me!?” Lynxheart demanded. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Wormclaw scoffed. “You’re destined to be ForestClan’s next leader. And I hate ForestClan, so I want to see it destroyed. It’s as simple as that.” 

“Why didn’t you just kill me when we first met?” asked Lynxheart. 

“Because it was entertaining to see you believe all my lies like a naïve kit,” said Wormclaw. “You were willing to do anything to save your beloved Dusklight. How noble. I thought for sure the Dark Ones would kill you quickly, but like a cockroach, you refuse to die.”

Suddenly, Wormclaw dashed at Lynxheart, grabbing his foreleg in his teeth again and unbalancing him. A blow to the shoulder sent Lynxheart toppling, and a moment later, he felt Wormclaw’s fangs latch onto his throat. He clawed wildly at the air, trying to scratch at Wormclaw’s face, but to no avail. Lynxheart’s vision filled with black spots once more as the terrible pressure on his throat increased. 

_I’m so sorry, everyone,_ he thought. _I’ve failed you…_

“WORMCLAW!” 

Suddenly, something slammed into Wormclaw. The tom went flying and landed in a heap in the grass. Lynxheart gasped, letting air flow into his lungs. 

“Lynxheart, are you alright?” said a familiar voice. 

He looked up and cried out. “Hemlocktail!” 

The medicine cat was standing there, glaring at Wormclaw with his lips curled in a snarl. 

“Hemlocktail!” Wormclaw’s snarl dripped with venom. “How dare you come here!?”

“How dare you try to kill our next leader,” Hemlocktail’s green eyes were as hard as flint. 

“This is all your fault, you know,” Wormclaw returned the hateful stare. “You’re the reason I turned out this way.” 

“No, Wormclaw,” said Hemlocktail coolly. “Becoming a murderer was all _your_ decision.” 

“Hemlocktail…what’s he talking about?” Lynxheart croaked, struggling to his paws. 

“That’s not important right now,” said Hemlocktail. “You need to get out of here, Lynxheart. Wake yourself up.” 

Suddenly, Wormclaw sprang at Hemlocktail. Lynxheart jumped in between them, managing to catch Wormclaw’s shoulder in his teeth. The two toms rolled around, screeching, biting, and clawing. Out of the corner of his eye, Lynxheart saw a large rock nearby. Before he could veer out of the way, Wormclaw grabbed him and slammed his head hard against the rock. White stars flashed before Lynxheart’s eyes as his head exploded with pain. He collapsed in the wilted grass, the world spinning before him. Lynxheart tried to get up, but the throbbing in his head was so intense that he could barely move. 

And then he heard a high-pitched, strangled yowl. 

“Hemlocktail!” Lynxheart wailed. He managed to raise his head; blinking blood out of his eyes, he saw with horror that Wormclaw had grabbed Hemlocktail by the throat. 

“No! Don’t kill him!” Lynxheart begged. “Kill me instead!” 

“No…Lynxheart…” Hemlocktail gasped. “You have to…get out of here…” 

Lynxheart shakily tried to push himself to his paws, rapidly thinking of the few options that he had. Maybe there were other StarClan cats nearby, who could intervene. 

“StarClan! Help!” Lynxheart yowled. “Please, somebody! My friend is going to be killed!” 

“Lynxheart…this is not…StarClan…” Hemlocktail’s words were cut off with a gag as Wormclaw dug his teeth deeper into his throat. 

“NO!” A burst of energy sent Lynxheart flying through the air. His vision went blank with white hot rage as he collided into Wormclaw. Hemlocktail fell into the grass, gasping, while Lynxheart pinned Wormclaw down on his back. 

“HA!” Wormclaw let out a loud snort of laughter. “You seriously still think we’re in StarClan? Oh, no. This is the Dark Forest. It’s where StarClan sends you if they don’t think you’re good enough.” 

Lynxheart let out a roar, and plunged his fangs deep into Wormclaw’s throat. The other tom raked his claws across his shoulders, desperately screeching as Lynxheart bit deeper and deeper, until blood exploded into his mouth. Wormclaw convulsed from underneath him. Blood erupted from his mouth, spraying Lynxheart in the face. And then, his orange eyes rolled over in his head, and he went limp. 

Lynxheart stepped back from the bloodstained tom, trembling with shock. He’d never killed another cat before. But had he really killed Wormclaw? He was already supposed to be dead! 

He pushed those thoughts aside, and ran over to Hemlocktail, who had gotten to his paws. Blood was trickling from the medicine cat’s throat, but the wound didn’t look deep enough to be fatal. 

“Are you okay!?” Lynxheart cried. 

“I think so, yeah,” said Hemlocktail with a cough. 

“H-how are you here!?” Lynxheart stuttered. “You’re not dead too, are you!?” 

“No.” Hemlocktail shook his head. “I’m dreaming, just like you are. I’m back in the CliffClan camp, asleep.” 

Lynxheart let out a heavy sigh of relief, and pressed his forehead against Hemlocktail’s. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry, for everything. I didn’t mean what I said to you…you’re my good friend, and...and I almost lost you…” 

Hemlocktail gingerly licked the blood from Lynxheart’s face. “I know you didn’t mean it,” he said gently. “You’ve been through so much, that it all clouded your mind.” With a purr he added, “But I knew you would come around eventually.” 

Lynxheart sighed and sank down on his haunches. “How did you know I was here?” 

“StarClan hinted to me what was going on,” said Helmocktail. “As Wormclaw said, this is the Dark Forest, where cats that have committed terrible crimes against their Clans are sent to wander alone for eternity.” 

“But…if Wormclaw’s already dead, how did I kill him!?” Lynxheart turned his head back towards the body, and froze in shock. Wormclaw appeared to be fading into thin air; the grass was visible through his pale pelt. He faded more and more, until he had completely vanished. 

“You killed his spirit,” said Hemlocktail, touching the tip of his tail to Lynxheart’s shoulder. “Cats of StarClan and the Dark Forest have the ability to interact with living cats in their dreams. If the connection between them is really strong, they can physically touch or even harm each other. Usually dead cats only talk to medicine cats and leaders…but Wormclaw seemed to have his eye on you.” 

“So, you knew Wormclaw?” Lynxheart asked. 

Hemlocktail nodded. “I did, back when he was alive. He was a ForestClan warrior, who died before you were born.” 

The gray and white tom narrowed his eyes. “But I’ll explain all of that later. You need to come back to us, Lynxheart. Everyone is worried sick.”

“I’m sorry.” Lynxheart dipped his head. “I buried Dusklight in the ForestClan camp, but then I ran into Silversnake and a Dark One, and I barely escaped.” 

He then raised his head, his eyes meeting Hemlocktail’s. 

“I’ll meet you at the Starlit Pool. I believe I have nine lives to receive.” 

Hemlocktail’s green eyes shone joyously. “I’ll be there,” he promised. 

And then, suddenly, the Dark Forest was gone. Lynxheart jolted awake with a gasp. He could feel a wooden surface underneath him—he must still be in the tree he’d passed out in. It was still night. Everything was dark, save for a sliver of moonlight that shone through the clouds. Lynxheart’s pelt was wet, both from his escape through the river, and from the still bleeding wounds Wormclaw had left. But despite all his discomfort, Lynxheart was overcome with a feeling he hadn’t felt in moons. Hope.

He pushed himself up to a sitting position on the branch, gazing at the moon in the distance. 

_I’m ready for my nine lives,_ he said silently.


	16. Chapter 16

To Lynxheart’s luck, the clouds parted, and the night became illuminated by silver moonlight. It guided him as he ran through the flat land between ForestClan and LakeClan’s territories. By the time he reached the Gathering Field, the sun was just becoming visible over the horizon. Lynxheart headed straight towards the Gathering area at the base of the cliff, where he knew the cavern that contained the Starlit Pool was nearby. He could just see the tall stones that marked the area in the distance, when he began to sense something was wrong. He wasn’t sure why a chill was running up his spine, or why his fur was bristling…and then he felt a faint pulsing sensation from behind him. 

Lynxheart whirled his head to look over his shoulder. From far across the field, he could just see a black figure with a single glowing red eye, staring right in his direction. 

_The Dark One’s leader!_

Lynxheart bolted for the Gathering area. The Dark One’s thunderous voice rippled across the field, muffled slightly by the distance, but still clearly full of malice. 

_**“LYNXHEART!”** _

The pulsing grew stronger. Lynxheart glanced over his shoulder again. With a jolt of heart-stopping terror, he saw that the Dark One was practically flying across the field, gaining on him quickly. 

Whipping his head back around, something caught Lynxheart’s eye—there was a space at the base of the cliff that was darker than its surroundings. It was the entrance to the Starlit Pool cave! Lynxheart made a beeline for it, the Dark One’s pulse pounding in his ears in sync to his own heartbeat. As he neared the cave, he could see that it narrowed further in—if he got in there in time, the Dark One wouldn’t be able to follow him. Lynxheart leaped into the mouth of the cave, relief flooding through his veins...

 _SNAP!_

Huge, sharp teeth clicked shut just behind his tail. Lynxheart whirled around, freezing as he saw the Dark One towering over him. Globs of drool fell from its gleaming white fangs as it fixed its prey with its single crimson eye. The pulsating was so powerful now, that Lynxheart swayed on his paws. He couldn’t bring himself to move. He closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over. 

And then, he heard voices. They were muffled, like whispers, but sharp and furious. 

_Get out. Get out of here, you beast!_

Lynxheart opened his eyes, and was unable to believe what he saw. Between him and the Dark One was a strange, silvery-white mass. At first, he thought it was mist, but then he noticed that it was multiple figures standing side-by-side, appearing cat-shaped. A large, longhaired one stepped forward, staring right up at the Dark One and snarling fearlessly at it. 

The Dark One flattened its ears. The brightness in its eye seemed to dim, and the pulsing sensation grew weaker. Lynxheart watched in amazement as it took a few, slow steps backwards. The Dark One was afraid! 

_Don’t you dare come in here!_ The longhaired cat was hissing. _Go away!_

The Dark One turned and ran, fleeing across the field as fast as it had come. Lynxheart stood there, his jaw trembling as he stared wide-eyed at the silvery cats. They were completely transparent, with the rocky walls of the cave visible through their pelts. Tiny stars seemed to sparkle in their fur. The longhaired one turned to Lynxheart, and nodded. 

“W-Wolfstar?” Lynxheart stammered. “Is that you?” 

And then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the cats vanished, leaving Lynxheart alone in the cave. His head spun. Had those been StarClan cats? He’d heard countless stories of spirits appearing to medicine cats and leaders, but they had never quite struck him as realistic…until now. 

Paws trembling, Lynxheart made his way deeper into the cave. The stone walls closed in, creating a narrow gap up ahead. Some sort of strange, silvery light was shining through it. Lynxheart sucked in his sides and squeezed his way through the space. As he emerged on the other side, he bumped into something furry. With a startled yowl, he unsheathed his claws, and struck out. 

“Lynxheart! It’s just me!” 

The other animal jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding a swipe to the face. Standing there, his gray and white pelt illuminated by the shimmering light, was Hemlocktail. 

Lynxheart nearly collapsed to the ground in relief. “Sorry!” he exclaimed, retracting his claws. “There was a Dark One in the field…it chased me to the cave…but then…something strange happened. There were these cats…all transparent-looking, and they kept it from coming in. They scared the Dark One away!” 

Hemlocktail’s eyes widened, but he nodded calmly. “This is a sacred place. StarClan’s power is strongest here. I suppose that they have the ability to keep any being with evil intents out of this cave.” 

Lynxheart turned to look at the source of the light. Before him was a pool of water a few tail-lengths long in diameter. The water shimmered with the brightness of stars, casting silvery shadows on the stone walls of the cave.

“So that’s the Starlit Pool,” breathed Lynxheart. “It’s so beautiful.” 

Hemlocktail nodded. “It’s connected directly to StarClan. One who puts their muzzle in the pool will fall asleep and share vivid dreams with our ancestors.” 

“So…about Wormclaw,” said Lynxheart. “Who was he?” 

Hemlocktail sighed. “I suppose I owe you an explanation. I knew him when I was younger; although back then, he was called Mouseclaw. He wasn’t always a terrible cat. Like any loyal warrior, he wanted nothing more than to serve his Clan. He had a mate, Flamespirit, who he loved very much. But she died giving birth to his kits.” 

The medicine cat squeezed his eyes shut, as if telling this story was painful for him. “I had just finished my apprenticeship. My mentor, Silverdust, was ill that day, so I had to help Flamespirit deliver her kits by myself. Something went wrong, and there was a ton of blood. I tried to stop it, but…I failed. And Mouseclaw blamed me for Flamespirit’s death.” 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” said Lynxheart quietly. That explained why Wormclaw had reacted to seeing Hemlocktail with such hostility. 

“It wasn’t your fault,” he told the medicine cat. 

“I know that now,” said Hemlocktail gently. “It wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to forgive myself. Anyways, only one of the kits survived,” Hemlocktail continued. “Mouseclaw named her Firekit. She was actually suckled by Sunwhisker’s mother, Lilyfrost. Mouseclaw loved Firekit so much. He visited her every day in the nursery, and played with her. She was his world.” 

Lynxheart’s gut tightened with dread. “Something bad happened to her, didn’t it?” he asked.

Hemlocktail let out a long sigh. “Yes,” he replied. “As I said before, my mentor’s name was Silverdust. Around this time, she was getting very old and senile. She thought she was seeing omens in everything, and became paranoid. One day, I was in the medicine den with Silverdust, when she suddenly had a vision and panicked. She said that StarClan was warning her that a dark ginger cat would bring destruction to ForestClan.” 

Hemlocktail let out a choking sound. “She thought it was Firekit. She ran out of the medicine den, over to the nursery, where the kits were playing…and before I could do anything, Silverdust bit down on Firekit’s neck, and killed her.” 

“Oh, great StarClan,” Lynxheart gasped. 

Hemlocktail shuddered. “I had nightmares of it, for a very long time afterwards,” he admitted. “And of course, Mouseclaw was devastated. He wanted Silverdust to be killed or exiled. But our leader at the time, Rainstar, was her brother. He defended her, saying that she was old and confused, and couldn’t be held responsible for her actions. So Rainstar sent Silverdust to the elder’s den, and had the other elders keep an eye on her.” 

With another heavy sigh, Hemlocktail continued. “Mouseclaw became very bitter and withdrawn after that. He let his hatred for Silverdust consume him. One day, he snuck poppy seeds into the elders’ fresh-kill, to make them fall asleep. Silverdust tended to wander off, so without her den mates to watch her, she left the camp. Mouseclaw followed her into the woods, and killed her.” 

“I guess that’s why he was exiled, then,” said Lynxheart. 

Hemlocktail nodded. “He then left her body by a fox den, to make it look like the fox was responsible for Silverdust’s death. It almost worked…but an apprentice caught him in the act. Mouseclaw was brought before Rainstar, who brutally attacked him, until he was lying on the ground covered in blood. Rainstar then made Mouseclaw leave ForestClan forever, but before he sent him into exile, he changed his name to Wormclaw, saying he was nothing but a filthy, treacherous worm.” 

With a jolt, Lynxheart realized he’d heard Wormclaw say those exact same words during their battle. 

“But that wasn’t the last you saw of him, was it?” he asked Hemlocktail. “He said he was killed by one of his former Clan mates.” 

“That is correct,” said Hemlocktail. “A few sunrises later, he got revenge on the apprentice who exposed him for murdering Silverdust. The apprentice’s name was Finchpaw—he was Eagledawn and Falconflight’s littermate.” 

“Finchpaw!” Lynxheart gasped, suddenly remembering that name from a conversation he’d once had with Foxshade. “My mother told me about him. She said he was killed by a fox.” 

Hemlocktail nodded. “Wormclaw led him to that fox. He stalked a patrol that Finchpaw was on, with his mentor and family. When the apprentices were sent out to try and find prey on their own, Wormclaw made a scent trail to the fox den by dragging a slain rabbit. When Finchpaw got to the fox den, the fox sprang out and ripped him to shreds. The rest of the patrol heard his screams, and came hurrying to his aid. But by the time they got there, Finchpaw was dead. They saw Wormclaw standing by, coldly watching the fox destroy him. The one to kill Wormclaw was Finchpaw’s father, Branchclaw. The witnesses said he leaped at Wormclaw and killed him in just one blow.” 

Lynxheart’s head spun with all this information. There was so much to process. 

“I’m sorry we never talked about it before,” said Hemlocktail with a weary sigh. “After Wormclaw died, hardly anyone brought up the incident. I suppose it was just too upsetting and traumatic for us to speak of it. But if you had known about Wormclaw beforehand, then perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to manipulate you. To be honest, I was suspicious when you started having strange dreams, that gave you those terrible headaches…but I wasn’t sure. Though I now know that Wormclaw was most likely the one sending them to you. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s my fault,” said Lynxheart. “I was foolish to trust him.” 

Hemlocktail shook his head. “It was _his_ fault, Lynxheart." 

Lynxheart let out a long sigh. “You’re right,” he admitted. And then, suddenly, he remembered the other cat he’d seen in the Dark Forest.

“I have no idea who she could be,” he said after telling Hemlocktail about it. 

“I have no idea either,” said Hemlocktail, looking shocked. “I remember Blackthorn saying that the Dark Ones were once cats…but that doesn’t explain why there was only one, or how it found its way to the Dark Forest.” 

“Wormclaw told me that original Dark One duplicated itself,” Lynxheart explained. “I think the “real” one is the giant one. If it dies, then the Dark Ones will be no more. But I have no idea how it could be killed.” 

“It _duplicated_ itself?” Hemlocktail echoed. “How in StarClan’s name…”

“It must have been a cat from the Dead Place,” said Lynxheart. “She had a strange name…Temnyy was what Wormclaw called her. There’s something bad about the air there that made Dusklight sick, and turned Temnyy into a monster. It truly is a cursed place.”

Hemlocktail stiffly nodded. “Whatever this “Temnyy” is, it seems that Wormclaw was using her to get his revenge on ForestClan.” 

“I don’t know if we can ever get rid of the Dark Ones, though,” Lynxheart sighed, staring down at his paws. “I feel like it’s only a matter of time before they slaughter the rest of us.” 

“We must put our faith in StarClan,” said Hemlocktail, touching his tail tip to the younger cat’s shoulder. “I know I say that a lot, but now that Wormclaw is gone, then perhaps we have an advantage.”

Lynxheart stared back at the shimmering pool. “So I just touch my muzzle to the water, and I wake up with nine lives?” he asked. 

“Not quite,” said Hemlocktail. “You’ll see the spirits of past cats in your dream. They will hold a ceremony, in which you will receive your lives.” 

“How does that work?” Lynxheart’s paws trembled nervously. 

“You’ll have to see for yourself,” said Hemlocktail gently. “What happens in a nine lives ceremony is only for leaders and medicine cats to know. But don’t be afraid. This is perfectly safe, I promise.”

Lynxheart took in a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready,” he said. 

Hemlocktail lay down by the pool, and gestured for Lynxheart to lie down next to him. The latter took another deep breath, and then touched his muzzle to the water. Startled by how ice cold it was, he tried to jerk back his face, but somehow, he couldn’t pull it away. A heavy exhaustion suddenly fell over his body, immobilizing him. Lynxheart wanted to panic, but he fell asleep instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Temnyy" is the Ukranian word for "dark."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Wa4IOfdG4

Lynxheart awoke with a jolt. He pushed himself up on his paws, breathing heavily. Looking around, he was shocked to find that he was back in the ForestClan camp. However, it looked different than usual. It was nighttime, but an enormous moon lit up the whole clearing with bright silvery light. Countless stars hovered in the sky as well, all huge and twinkling. The grass beneath Lynxheart’s paws sparkled, as if it too contained hundreds of littler stars. 

And then, cats began to appear, seemingly out of thin air. In just a few moments, a crowd of semitransparent cats encircled Lynxheart. They looked similar to the ones that had saved him from the Dark One, but they were now slightly more solid, and there was color to their pelts. 

“Hello, Lynxheart,” said a voice. He couldn’t tell which cat it came from—oddly, it seemed as though they were all speaking at once. 

“Are you ready to receive your nine lives?” 

“I-I am,” Lynxheart stuttered. He sat up straight and wrapped his tail tight around his paws, trying to keep from quivering. For moons, he had doubted StarClan’s existence. Even after seeing Wormclaw’s spirit in his dreams, the idea of an afterlife hadn’t seemed real to him. But it was very, _very_ real—even though it was a dream, all these cats were truly here with him. 

One of them walked into the circle, padding towards Lynxheart. He gasped as he recognized the tom’s black coat.

“Blackthorn!” he cried. “Is it really you!?” 

Lynxheart had only known Blackthorn as a scrawny, frail elder, but here, he looked young and healthy. He gave a friendly purr as he made his way over. The fact that he had made it to StarClan made Lynxheart very happy, as he had not been Clan born. Blackthorn’s dark coat gave off a brilliant sheen as he touched his nose to Lynxheart’s. The latter flinched at its solid, cold touch, but similar to the Starlit Pool, he wasn’t able to pull away. 

“With this life, I give you bravery,” said Blackthorn, his voice echoing. “Have faith in yourself to protect your Clan from the Dark Ones. Use what you’ve learned about them, and have the courage to learn more.” 

Nothing could have prepared Lynxheart for the jolt of agony that seized his entire body. It seemed as though actual fire was burning beneath his pelt. He was unable to move, or look away from Blackthorn as it happened. All he could do was yowl. And then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain ebbed away. Blackthorn turned away from Lynxheart and slipped back into the crowd. Lynxheart gasped for breath, swaying on his paws. 

_Don’t tell me I’m going to have to go through this eight more times. What if I can’t endure it all? Will StarClan choose someone else to become leader then?_

It had just occurred to him that he should at least thank Blackthorn for the life, when another cat appeared in front of him. This one was a beautiful white she-cat with silver and yellow tabby stripes. 

“Sunnymist!” Lynxheart gasped. Although she’d been a LakeClan warrior, she’d been an important friend to ForestClan. Both Clans had been devastated when she’d died protecting Ripplemist, whom she’d mentored, from the Dark Ones. The tabby she-cat purred, her blue eyes glowing as she pressed her nose to Lynxheart’s.

“With this life, I give you compassion,” she said. “Understanding others better will help you make sense of the world, and make you a benevolent leader.” 

There was less pain in this life, although Lynxheart’s muscles tensed up greatly as more energy coursed through his body. When it was over, he tried to tell Sunnymist that Ripplemist had been named after her, but Sunnymist was already walking away. Another she-cat took her place, this one ginger.

“Eagledawn!” Lynxheart cried. He’d missed his fiercely brave Clan mate, who had been killed by Silversnake. “I can’t believe it’s you!” 

Eagledawn gave a purr of amusement as she too touched her nose to Lynxheart’s. “With this life, I give you the fierceness you’ll need to protect ForestClan. The Dark Ones will not go down easily. Be relentless in your attack.” 

This life was much, much more painful than Blackthorn’s. Lynxheart’s vision went red. All he knew was pain. It felt as if every fiber in his body were being viciously torn apart. It seemed to last for an eternity; as the agony finally did fade away, Lynxheart swore he caught a glimpse of flashing claws, and heard the yowling of cats in battle. 

Eagledawn then walked away. Lynxheart was so fazed by the life she’ d given him, that it took him a moment to realize that another cat was walking over. 

“P-Patchmoon?” he stuttered. 

“It’s good to see you again, Lynxheart,” said the black and white tom. His eyes narrowed. “But I must say that you took an awfully long time to come here.” 

He touched his nose to Lynxheart’s. “With this life, I give you loyalty. Stay humble and faithful to StarClan, and always put ForestClan’s needs over yours.” 

To Lynxheart’s relief, this life wasn’t nearly as painful to receive as the previous, but he still felt overwhelmed by the rush of energy that came from Patchmoon. 

“Thank you,” said Lynxheart, dipping his head. In the past, he'd never really gotten along with Patchmoon, until the Dark Ones had taken over the lands, and they’d had to work together to keep what was left of ForestClan alive. Lyxheart was glad they had become friends. 

Patchmoon nodded, and then returned to his place in the crowd. Lynxheart’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the next cat emerging. 

“Sunwhisker!” he yowled. 

Lynxheart’s former mentor came striding up to him, his yellow tabby fur gleaming like sunlight. When Lynxheart had last seen him, he’d been an angry, vengeful shell of his old self, his mind broken by the loss of his mate and kits. But there was nothing but warmth in Sunwhisker’s eyes as he looked at Lynxheart. He purred loudly as he touched noses with his former apprentice.

“You’re yourself again,” Lynxheart breathed. “Oh, Sunwhisker, I’m so sorry for everything…”

“None of it was your fault,” Sunwhisker replied. “I’m the one who should be sorry. Let me make it up to you by giving you this life. With it comes optimism. Remember that there is always something to be thankful for, even in the darkest of times.” 

A warm, uplifiting sensation surged through Lynxheart. Although it only lasted a few moments, for the first time in moons, he felt truly happy. 

Sunwhisker turned away. Lynxheart almost called for him to come back, when he saw the next cat approaching him. This tom looked eerily similar to him, with strong muscles rippling under a golden tabby pelt.

“F—father?” Lynxheart could barely speak. 

“Hello, my son,” Goldenleaf purred. 

“H--how?” Lynxheart choked out. The Dark Ones had torn his parents to barely recognizable shreds. Yet one of them was standing right there, his body perfectly intact. 

“Even though our bodies don’t last forever, our spirits live on long after,” said Goldenleaf, as if reading his son’s mind. “Your mother and I have missed you, and your sister. But we are safe here in StarClan.”

He gently touched Lynxheart’s nose. “With this life, I give you sturdiness. Be strong for your Clan, and for yourself.” 

Lynxheart’s entire body became stiff. He couldn’t move at all. His muscles throbbed; the pain seemed to be intensifying with every second. He tried to scream, but his jaw was clamped shut. And then, just like with all the other lives, the sensation suddenly ended. Lynxheart wanted to collapse right there, and escape from the exhaustion and soreness that overwhelmed him. However, he forced himself to remain standing. 

As Goldenleaf walked away, Lynxheart let out a kit-like whimper. 

“Don’t worry,” said Goldenleaf. “I’ve always been with you, and always will be.”

As he disappeared into the crowd, a slender black she-cat with a subtle reddish glow to her pelt hurried over to Lynxheart. 

“Mother!” His whole body vibrated with purrs as Foxshade touched noses with him. “Oh…I’ve missed you so much…”

“I’ve missed you too,” said Foxshade thickly. Her amber eyes gleamed with love and pride. “Oh, my kit, I’m so sorry. You’ve had to go through so much. But you’ve survived it, because you are my brave, strong kit.” 

“I got it from you,” Lynxheart whispered.

Foxshade purred. “With this life, I give you wisdom. May your mind open up to face the challenges that lie ahead.” 

This life didn’t hurt, but it did feel strange. Lynxheart’s vision swirled with a myriad of colors, while a cacophony of mysterious sounds filled his ears. Though he wasn’t quite sure what he was experiencing, when it was over, his mind felt clear and calm. 

“Take care, my precious son,” said Foxshade. “One day, we’ll be together again.” 

Lynxheart watched his mother walk away with mingled feelings of grief and awe. And then, the next cat approached him. Lynxheart froze to the spot, instantly recognizing that long black coat and bright yellow eyes. Wolfstar looked even more majestic here in StarClan as he did when he was alive. His dark fur shone silver, and his movements were powerful yet graceful. 

“Hello, Lynxheart,” he rumbled warmly, coming to stop in front of him.

Lynxheart was at a loss for words. He had never thought he’d see his leader again, but here he was, staring him right in the face. Unsure of what else to do, Lynxheart bowed his head. 

“No, no,” said Wolfstar, a hint of amusement in his voice. “There’s no need for that. We are equals here.”

Lynxheart lifted his head, staring into Wolfstar’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I doubted you.” 

“You’ve been confused and lost for a long time,” said Wolfstar. “But you have found your way now. You are a noble and brave cat--more than worthy of becoming my successor.” 

He touched his nose to Lynxheart’s. “With this life, I give you the will to make sacrifices. In dark times, there are often things we must give up to protect our Clan. Understand that some choices are incredibly difficult, but you must put your Clan mates’ safety and future before anything else.” 

Lynxheart’s vision suddenly went black. He felt very, very cold—so cold that his legs trembled violently. It was if he were drowning in icy, dark water. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. There was a powerful, pulsing sensation within his brain, so painful that Lynxheart feared his head would explode. For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes, and heard the unearthly snarl of a Dark One. And then, everything faded into a soft, white light. Lynxheart was overcome with a sense of tranquility and contentment. He felt as if he’d solved every problem in the world, and would never feel any negative emotion again. 

The surroundings suddenly turned back to the ForestClan camp. 

“Good luck,” said Wolfstar. He then padded away. 

_What was that!?_ Lynxheart shook his head, still feeling a faint throb in his head. He trusted Wolfstar, but still, why would he give him such a frightening sensation? His heart pounded with terror, both for his Clan and for himself…but then, those thoughts evaporated as the ninth and final StarClan warrior came up to him. 

“N…no,” Lynxheart whispered in a tiny voice. “It can’t be…” 

But it was. Dusklight’s ginger pelt shone like flames in the starlight. His amber eyes were brighter than ever, illuminating his handsome face. Lynxheart quivered like a kit, numb with disbelief as Dusklight stopped in front of him.

“Is it…really you?” he choked out. 

Dusklight pressed his forehead to Lynxheart’s with a loud purr. “Of course it’s me, you silly furball. You didn’t think I’d let another cat have the fun of giving you your last life?”

Lynxheart gave a yowl of laughter. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered. “It’s only been two sunrises since you died, but it’s felt like an eternity.”

“I’m sorry,” Dusklight mumbled. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t stick around longer. But you haven’t lost me, Lynxheart. You never will. I will always be there for you. With this last life, I give you love. Care for your Clan mates as if they were your kits, and know that there is much more goodness in this world than badness, even when things seem hopeless. And know that you have many cats who love you, both in the living world and here in StarClan.” 

Lynxheart drank in the warm, glowing sensation that entered his body. It was similar to the feeling he’d always experienced when curled up next to Dusklight, but even more wonderful. He wished dearly that he could just stay here in the ForestClan camp forever with the cat he loved the most. 

“Do you have to go?” Lynxheart whimpered as the sensation faded.

“I’m afraid so,” said Dusklight, his eyes filling with sadness. He gave Lynxheart’s chin a tender lick. “But I’ll always be watching over you. If you ever need help, I’ll be here.” 

Lynxheart sank down on his haunches with exhausted resignation as Dusklight walked away from him. But as painful as it was to see the love of his life leave again, there was relief mingled with it. Dusklight was right—Lynxheart hadn’t lost him. A part of him now resided in him, and would remain there until he lost his final life. 

“Congratulations, Lynxheart.” The crowd seemed to speak as one, just as they had done at the beginning. “You have received all nine of your lives, and earned the guardianship of ForestClan. From this moment on, you will be known as Lynxstar. We wish you a successful and fulfilling leadership.” 

“Lynxstar! Lynxstar!” He could hear individual cries now, recognizing the voices of not only the cats who had given him the lives, but also many others that he’d known. Scanning the crowd, he saw the old messenger cat Runningdeer, Patchmoon’s long lost kit Beechpaw and his mate, Dustycloud, as well as Walnutfur, Sunwhisker’s mate Lakefrost, and their kits…all of his lost Clan mates were there, as well as ones from LakeClan and CliffClan—he recognized the pelts of Firecreek, Loontail, Stormheart, Ridgesky, and even more cats. 

For so long, Lynxstar had believed he and his living Clan mates were alone, forced to suffer helplessly as the Dark Ones slaughtered them one by one. But he wasn’t alone at all. StarClan was on his side after all, and they would be there for him. 

The last thing he saw before his vision faded back to the Starlit Pool was Dusklight, nodding towards him. Then, he and all the other cats disappeared, and Lynxstar was back in the cave again. He stared down at the Starlit Pool for a long time. 

“Thank you,” he whispered to the shimmering water. “I won’t let any of you down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Book 3


End file.
